Types of Cardinal Birds with Pictures

Written by Niccoy Walker
Updated: March 23, 2023
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Cardinals are medium to large songbirds with stout features and thick bills. These tree-dwelling birds are popular for their bright red, blue, and yellow plumage. However, defining “cardinal” is difficult. Birds in the Cardinalidae family consist of more than just cardinals. In fact, tanagers, grosbeaks, chats, seedeaters, and buntings are also members of the Cardinalidae family. Further complicating matters, some cardinal birds are not in the Cardinalidae family at all! For the sake of simplicity, this article will cover birds with the word “cardinal” in their name. We’ll discuss nine types of cardinal birds and learn about their habitats, distinguishing characteristics, diets, and nests.

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal on a branch

Northern cardinals are nonmigratory and keep their bright red plumage all year. You can find them in overgrown fields and marshy thickets.

©Bonnie Taylor Barry/Shutterstock.com

Habitat and Range: Northern cardinals are permanent residents in the eastern half of the United States and Mexico. They are nonmigratory, and they keep their bright plumage all year. They prefer areas with dense foliage, like overgrown fields, marshy thickets, and forest edges. But they also regularly visit backyards.

Features and Coloring: They are large songbirds with long tails, thick bills, and prominent crests. Males are bright red with black face masks, while females are pale brown with red accents.

Diet: They forage for seeds and berries and also consume insects.

Vocalizations: Listen for their rich “cheer” songs and metallic chips.

Nests: These birds build open twig cups in dense shrubs.

Desert Cardinal

Birds that look like cardinals: Pyyrhuloxia

They live in the dry, hot desert scrub of the Southwest. This species is medium-sized and has a stocky body with a long tail and tall crest.

©iStock.com/Dee Carpenter Photography

Habitat and Range: The desert cardinal, or Pyrrhuloxia, is a permanent resident in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. They are closely related to northern cardinals but are habitat specialists that live in the dry, hot desert scrub of the Southwest. You can also find them in mesquite savannas, upland deserts, and farm fields.

Features and Coloring: These medium-sized birds are stocky and feature long tails and tall crests. They have gray and bright red plumage with thick, yellow bills.

Diet: They eat insects, seeds, and berries.

Vocalizations: They emit thin, short, whistled notes.

Nests: Desert cardinals create open thorny twig cups in shrubs or low trees.

Red-Crested Cardinal

red-crested cardinal

Red-crested cardinals live close to marshes, lakes, and rivers in tropical and subtropical climates.

©რობერტ (Robert), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons – License

Habitat and Range: Red-crested cardinals are native to Southeastern South America but have been introduced to Hawaii and Puerto Rico. These birds live close to marshes, lakes, and rivers in tropical and subtropical climates. They also inhabit dry shrublands and degraded forests.

Features and Coloring: This species is a medium-sized tanager with a red head, white underparts, and gray upperparts. They have tall, shaggy crests, long legs, and long tails.

Diet: Their favorite foods are seeds, fruits, insects, and arthropods.

Vocalizations: Red-crested cardinals sing sweet, melodious notes.

Nests: They form twig cups in the fork of a tree.

Vermilion Cardinal

vermilion cardinal

Vermilion cardinals live in Colombia and Venezuela year-round, where they inhabit semi-arid scrublands near cacti.

©Félix Uribe, CC BY-SA 2.0 – License

Habitat and Range: The vermilion cardinal lives in Colombia and Venezuela in Northern South America. They are nonmigratory, living year-round in their environments. You can find them in semi-arid scrublands near cacti and other spiny vegetation.

Features and Coloring: Vermilion cardinals are closely related to desert cardinals and feature erect crowns, long tails, and thick bills. Adult males are bright red with dusky wings and tails, while females are more grayish brown.

Diet: Fruits, seeds, and invertebrates make up their diet.

Vocalizations: Pleasant “tweets” and “chips” are their characteristic calls.

Nests: They build open cups placed in cacti.

Yellow-Billed Cardinal

yellow-billed cardinal

Yellow-billed cardinals look similar to the red-crested cardinal, but they do not have crests.

©Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 – License

Habitat and Range: Yellow-billed cardinals occur in Central South America in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina. They have also been introduced to Hawaii. They live in moist shrublands, forested marshes, flooded fields, and lakeshores.

Features and Coloring: These birds look similar to the red-crested cardinal, but they do not have crests. Adults have red heads, black upperparts, and white undersides. They also feature short yellow to orange bills. Juveniles are browner and do not have bright red heads.

Diet: They consume seeds and insects.

Vocalizations: Listen for their repetitive nasal calls.

Nests: They use a deep plant fiber cup as a nest, which they place in small trees and scrubs.

Red-Cowled Cardinal

red-cowled cardinal

The red-cowled cardinal is endemic to Brazil and belongs to the tanager family. They live in semi-open habitats and many urban areas.

©iStock.com/Irving A Gaffney

Habitat and Range: The red-cowled cardinal is endemic to Brazil, though some populations have formed in Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo due to escaped pet birds. These birds belong to the tanager family and inhabit semi-open habitats in dry to semi-humid climates. They also live in many urban areas. 

Features and Coloring: These tanagers are distantly related to the Cardinalidae family. They feature long tails and short, thick bills. Additionally, they have bright red heads, white undersides, and streaky black to gray backs, wings, and tails.

Diet: Insects and plant matter make up the bulk of their diet.

Vocalizations: Red-cowled cardinals emit fast, melodious whistles.

Nests: They nest in open cups placed in branches.

Masked Cardinal

Masked cardinal

Masked cardinals are native to Trinidad, Colombia, and Venezuela, where they live in wet savannas, mangroves, and forest edges near water.

©iStock.com/Santimanitay

Habitat and Range: Masked cardinals live in Trinidad, Colombia, and Venezuela. They prefer to inhabit open and moist habitats, such as wet savannas, mangroves (Trinidad only), and forest edges near water. Their prefered climate is tropical and subtropical.

Features and Coloring: Similar to other cardinals, this tanager species features a long tail and thick bill. However, their crests are slightly shorter than most, and their heads are bright red. Their bodies are white below and black above.

Diet: Mask cardinals enjoy eating seeds, fruits, insects, and vegetable matter.

Vocalizations: They have sharp “chip” calls.

Nests: They like to nest in open twig cups placed low in trees in the marsh.

Red-Capped Cardinal

red-capped cardinal

The red-capped cardinal lives in the lowlands of Northern South America. Look for them in swamps and mangroves.

©Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0 – License

Habitat and Range: The red-capped cardinal inhabits lowlands in Northern South America. They live in many countries, including Brazel, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and the Guianas. You can find them in swamps and mangroves or other semi-open areas near water. You may also see them in towns and cities.

Features and Coloring: These small tanagers have long tails and somewhat longer bills than other species. They have crimson heads with black circles around their eyes. Additionally, their bodies are dark above and grayish white below. 

Diet: They eat insects and fruit and also enjoy rice!

Vocalizations: They have distinct sharp “chip” notes.

Nests: Shallow open cups are built and placed in a tree.

Yellow Cardinal

yellow cardinal

The yellow cardinal is very rare and only found in a few South American countries.

©iStock.com/foto4440

Habitat and Range: Yellow cardinals are extremely rare and only found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. They belong to the tanager family and are the only members of their genus. These birds live in dry savannas, moist shrublands, grasslands, and temperate shrublands.

Features and Coloring: They are large, plump songbirds with short, thick bills, long tails, and small, black crests. Their plumage is bright yellow, and they have dark streaky backs. They also have silver bills and black patches on their faces and throats.

Diet: They snack on seeds, grains, and fruits.

Vocalizations: Their calls are mainly unknown, but they sometimes make melodic songs.

Nests: Interestingly, their nesting habits are also unknown.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Santimanitay


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About the Author

Niccoy is a professional writer for A-Z Animals, and her primary focus is on birds, travel, and interesting facts of all kinds. Niccoy has been writing and researching about travel, nature, wildlife, and business for several years and holds a business degree from Metropolitan State University in Denver. A resident of Florida, Niccoy enjoys hiking, cooking, reading, and spending time at the beach.

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