SPECIES

Vermilion Cardinal Cardinalis phoeniceus Scientific name definitions

Adriana Rodríguez-Ferraro
Version: 2.0 — Published February 23, 2024

Behavior

Introduction

There is very little published information about the behavior of this species, with only isolated observations of foraging and breeding.

Locomotion

Walking, Climbing, Hopping

Usually hops on the ground and in vegetation (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data).

Flight

Undulating flight at low or medium height when moving in open areas. Short flights when moving around vegetation (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data).

Self-Maintenance

Information is needed.

Agonistic Behavior

Physical and Communicative Interactions

Few agonistic interactions have been observed among Margarita Island (Venezuela) males. Interactions included chases, vocal behavior (calls), displacements, and physical attacks. On one occasion, two males chased and attacked another male while vocalizing loudly. The chased male was pushed into the ground and pecked simultaneously by the other two males until it escaped (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data).

Territorial behavior

Information is needed.

Spacing

Information is needed.

Sexual Behavior

Mating System and Operational Sex Ratio

Presumably monogamous, similarly to the other two cardinal species, since males and females raise broods together (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data).

Courtship, Copulation, and Pair Bond

Information is needed.

Extra-Pair Mating Behavior/Paternity

Information is needed.

Brood Parasitism of Conspecifics

Information is needed.

Brood Parasitism of Other Species

Information is needed.

Social and Interspecific Behavior

Degree of Sociality

Usually alone or in pairs, but occasionally groups of 5-6 individuals can be observed (2).

Play

Information is needed.

Nonpredatory Interspecific Interactions

Information is needed. There are a few reports of cardinals mobbing small owls (2).

Predation

Information is needed.

Recommended Citation

Rodríguez-Ferraro, A. (2024). Vermilion Cardinal (Cardinalis phoeniceus), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (F. Medrano and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.vercar1.02