Species names in all available languages
Language | Common name |
---|---|
Catalan | cardenal emplomallat |
Dutch | Vermiljoenkardinaal |
English | Vermilion Cardinal |
English (United States) | Vermilion Cardinal |
French | Cardinal vermillon |
French (France) | Cardinal vermillon |
German | Purpurkardinal |
Japanese | ミナミショウジョウコウカンチョウ |
Norwegian | sinoberkardinal |
Polish | kardynał pąsowy |
Russian | Пурпурный кардинал |
Serbian | Vermilion kardinal |
Slovak | kardinál purpurový |
Spanish | Cardenal de la Guajira |
Spanish (Spain) | Cardenal de la Guajira |
Spanish (Venezuela) | Cardenal Coriano |
Swedish | cinnoberkardinal |
Turkish | Guahira Kardinalı |
Ukrainian | Кардинал південний |
Revision Notes
Adriana Rodríguez-Ferraro revised the account as part of a partnership with Unión Venezolana de Ornitólogos (UVO). Peter Pyle contributed to the Plumages, Molts, and Structure page. Guy M. Kirwan contributed to the Systematics page. Adriana Rodríguez-Ferraro and Arnau Bonan Barfull curated the media. JoAnn Hackos, Robin K. Murie, and Robin K. Murie copy edited the draft.
Cardinalis phoeniceus Bonaparte, 1838
Definitions
- CARDINALIS
- cardinalis
- phoenicea / phoeniceum / phoeniceus
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Vermilion Cardinal Cardinalis phoeniceus Scientific name definitions
Version: 2.0 — Published February 23, 2024
Diet and Foraging
Introduction
The Vermilion Cardinal forages mainly on fruits and seeds, but also feeds on insects (54, 55, 56)
Feeding
Microhabitat for Foraging
The Vermilion Cardinal forages in dense lower and medium strata of desert scrubs. It is also frequently observed foraging for seeds and insects on the ground (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data). In Colombia, the Vermilion Cardinal is observed coming to feeders and feeding on corn and other seeds (Ripma, eBird).
Food Capture and Consumption
Single individuals or pairs actively search for food, but occasionally loose groups of 3–5 individuals forage together (2). Its strong bill is used to cut or crush fruits or pods and to extract the seeds (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data). When foraging on cardon (Stenocereus griseus) fruits, the Vermilion Cardinal often takes a large amount of pulp with its beaks and flies away from the cactus to ingest it (57). During a single observation, a Vermilion Cardinal spent 2 minutes foraging on cardon fruits, and took five bites during that period (57). Fruits of melon cactus (Melocactus curvispinus) are eaten with several bites, while the bird perches atop the cactus or pulls out the whole fruit from it and eats it on the ground; in both cases, fruit skin is usually discarded and not ingested (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data).
Diet
Major Food Items
Based on 80 emetic samples, the diet of the Vermilion Cardinal includes fruits or seeds of Bromelia pinguin (Bromeliacea), Bursera karsteniana (Burseraceae), Croton rhamnifolius (Euphorbiaceae), Doyerea emetocathartica (Cucurbitaceae), Jaquinia revoluta (Primulaceae), Lycium nodosum (Solanaceae), Solanum agrarium (Solanaceae), Solanum gardneri (Solanaceae), Zanthoxylum fagara (Rutacea), Sida acuta (Malvaceae), Melocactus curvispinus (Cactaceae), Pilosocereus moritzianus (Cactaceae), and Erythroxilum sp. (Erythroxilaceae) (55). Invertebrate remains belonging to six taxa were also found in the emetic samples: Ixodidadae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera (ants, winged ants, wasps), and insect larvae (55).
Field observations indicate that bromelias (Bromelia pinguin and B. humilis) and cacti fruits are an important component of the Vermilion Cardinals' diet (P. A. Millán, personal communication). Cardinals are frequently observed foraging on melon cactus fruits (Melocatus curvispinus)(A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data), and also consume fruits of Opuntia cacti (V. Sanz, personal communication). During a study focusing on avian consumers of cardon (Stenocereus griseus), cardinals were observed foraging on these fruits, ingesting both pulp and seeds (57). Experiments in captivity indicated that cardinals ate both pulp and seeds of cardon fruits since most seeds were crushed during digestion, and only a few were defecated whole (57).
Quantitative Analysis
Out of 80 emetic samples from the Araya Peninsula (Sucre, Venezuela), 84% contained seeds (six species), 83% arthropod remains (six taxa), and 48% fleshy fruits (ten species) (55). The diet composition based on field observations conducted during two years in the Paraguaná peninsula (Falcón, Venezuela) included seeds, fruits, flowers, and insects (54).
Food Selection and Storage
Food Selection
The proportion of food items in 75 cardinals' emetic samples varied significantly among three adjacent habitats (thorn scrub, thorn woodland, and deciduous forest) in the Araya peninsula (northeastern Venezuela) (56). Consequently, in thorn scrub, cardinals were classified as frugivores (78.4% of all items were fruits, n = 315), in thorn woodland as frugivore-insectivore (43.8% of items were fruits and 31.3% were arthropod items, n = 48), and in deciduous forest as granivore-insectivores (52.8% of items were seeds and 39.6% were arthropod remains) (56). Field observations also indicate a variation in diet composition among different types of thorn scrubs in the Paraguaná Peninsula (54). In Stenocereus-dominated scrubs, cardinals fed on fruits (33.9% of total observations), seeds (27.4%), insects (19.4%), and other plant parts (19.3%), whereas the main food item was seeds in thorn scrubs dominated by Prosopis juliflora or by Parkinsonia praecox (82.6% and 70.8% of total observations, respectively).
Nutrition and Energetics
Information is needed.
Metabolism and Temperature Regulation
Information is needed.
Drinking, Pellet-Casting, and Defecation
Information is needed.