Pyrrhuloxia

Cardinalis sinuatus

The desert cardinal — same swagger, sandier suit. Built for thorns and 110-degree commutes.

Population: ~3 million mature individuals globally (roughly 1.1-2.2 million in the USA, ~0.8-1.9 million in Mexico), with a modeled continuing decline of about 6-11% over three generations (BirdLife/IUCN, 2020 assessment)
Habitat: Arid and semi-arid scrubland, mesquite thickets/savanna, and Chihuahuan Desert scrub; also desert creek beds/riparian corridors, agricultural edges, and residential areas, from near sea level up to roughly 2,200 m
Fun fact: The Pyrrhuloxia's old genus name combined 'Pyrrhula' (bullfinch) and 'Loxia' (crossbill) in reference to its stubby, curved, parrot-like bill, before taxonomists merged it into Cardinalis alongside the Northern Cardinal.
Range: Resident of the southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and marginally southern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, western Oklahoma) and northern/central Mexico, including the Baja California peninsula, north of the Sierra Madre del Sur and Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Diet: Primarily seeds (bristlegrass, doveweed, sandbur, panicum, sorghum, pigweed/sunflower), cactus fruit and other fruits, supplemented with insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, stink bugs, and cicadas
Size: 0.21 m
Wingspan: 0.295 m
Lifespan: 8 years

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