Pyrrhuloxia

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Pyrrhuloxia
Conservation status
Least concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Cardinalidae Genus: Cardinalis Species: C. sinuatus
Binomial name
Cardinalis sinuatus Bonaparte, 1838

Male Pyrrhuloxia in Tucson, Arizona

The Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) is a medium-sized bird in the same genus as the Northern Cardinal and the Vermilion Cardinal.

It is primarily a resident of Mexico, but can be found in the southern parts of the U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Its tongue-twisting name, pyrrhula, meaning crossbill, and loxia, meaning flame-colored, comes from Latin terms describing the shape of its bill and the color of its body; it has been occasionally suggested that a more appropriate name would be "Desert Cardinal".

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Cardinalis sinuatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

[edit] External links

• Pyrrhuloxia profile at Avibase
• Images and description