Cardinals and their Cousins

Spotting a cardinal in the wild is always an exciting and colorful moment.  Many people call it the prettiest bird in the United States, and the fact that seven of our states call the red avian their state bird probably makes that official.  In fact, this popular species that is really called the northern cardinal to be exact, is just one of many in a quite colorful family of - technically speaking - cardinalidae.

Traditionally, there were just a few birds in this taxonomic family.   But recently, science has determined through genetics that a number of grosbeaks, tanagers and buntings also belong in this classification.  It turns out that an older method of categorizing birds by their sizes, colors, and beak shapes didn't stand up to modern molecular analysis.

So even though all the members of this expanded family of birds don't have the same shaped bill, the males are almost always brilliantly colored.   And their beaks are all strong enough to eat seeds, a significant portion of their diets.  Finally, they all tend to live in open woodlands in the Americas.

We're lucky in Arizona to see at least a dozen of the over fifty species in this family.  They are mostly a tropical bird, but a number spend their summers breeding in the Grand Canyon State.  Enjoy these colorful pictures of several I've been lucky enough to photograph recently.  And remember that a cardinal isn't just a popular state bird or a professional football player, it's sometimes a blue grosbeak or a summer tanager - just a couple more reasons to still call it the prettiest bird in the wild.

Male northern cardinal, in Superior. 

Male northern cardinal, in Superior.

Female northern cardinal in Superior.

Female northern cardinal in Superior.

Pyrrhuloxia in Phoenix.  He looks similar to the female northern cardinal, but has more red, and is gray versus tan.  Also, his beak is stubbier.

Pyrrhuloxia in Phoenix.  He's sometimes called the desert cardinal because of his prevalence in more arid climates.

Male black-headed grosbeak in Prescott.

Female black-headed grosbeak in Prescott.

Male blue grosbeak in Prescott.

Male blue grosbeak in Prescott.

Male varied bunting in Madera Canyon.

Male hepatic tanager in Madera Canyon.  

Female hepatic tanager in Madera Canyon.

Male summer tanager in Prescott.  He and the hepatic are often confused for one another, but the summer doesn't have grayish tones on his wings, back and face.

Male western tanager in Prescott.  It's a poor shot, but a big motivation to get out into the wild this summer to see even more cardinals and their cousins!