Cardinals and allies | Cardinalidae

Kardinaalachtigen | Cardenales

An exclusively American family of medium-sized songbirds. In many genera the bill is heavy, short and conical, with a curved upper edge and a broad base, built to crack hard seeds and stones; the tanagers of the genus Piranga, the ant-tanagers (Habia) and related genera have a slimmer bill and eat more insects and fruit. In Mexico and Central America the family numbers 35 species. The difference between the sexes is striking: in many species the male wears a single saturated colour over almost the whole body, red or deep blue, while the female is warm brown to olive green. Some species are resident, such as the ant-tanagers and Blue-black Grosbeak of tropical forest, but in winter many migrants arrive from the north, such as Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Summer Tanager. In Indigo Bunting and its relatives the male moults into a duller plumage outside the breeding season, so that winter birds often have to be judged on bill shape and tail length. They live in scrub, forest edge and forest, often sing from a high perch and build an open nest in a bush or tree.