Passerina
Encyclopedia
The genus Passerina is a group of bird
s in the Cardinal
family Cardinalidae. Although not directly related to buntings
in the family Emberizidae
, they are sometimes known as the North American buntings (the North American Emberizidae are colloquially called "sparrow
s" although they are also not related to these birds).
The males show vivid colours in the breeding season; the plumage of females and immature birds is duller. These birds go through two molt
s in a year; the males are generally less colourful in winter. They have short tails and short slim legs. They have smaller bills than other Cardinalidae; they mainly eat seed
s in winter and insect
s in summer.
Blue Grosbeak (P. caerulea) was once placed in the monotypic genus, Guiraca.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the Cardinal
Cardinal (bird)
The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae ....
family Cardinalidae. Although not directly related to buntings
Bunting (bird)
Buntings are a group of Eurasian and African passerine birds of the family Emberizidae.They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills, and are the Old World equivalents of the species known in North America as sparrows...
in the family Emberizidae
Emberizidae
The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
, they are sometimes known as the North American buntings (the North American Emberizidae are colloquially called "sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s" although they are also not related to these birds).
The males show vivid colours in the breeding season; the plumage of females and immature birds is duller. These birds go through two molt
Moult
In biology, moulting or molting , also known as sloughing, shedding, or for some species, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body , either at specific times of year, or at specific points in its life cycle.Moulting can involve the epidermis , pelage...
s in a year; the males are generally less colourful in winter. They have short tails and short slim legs. They have smaller bills than other Cardinalidae; they mainly eat seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s in winter and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s in summer.
Blue Grosbeak (P. caerulea) was once placed in the monotypic genus, Guiraca.
Species
- Blue GrosbeakBlue GrosbeakBlue Grosbeak , is a medium-sized seed-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, "tropical" or New World buntings, and "cardinal-grosbeaks" or New World grosbeaks....
, P. caerulea - Lazuli BuntingLazuli BuntingThe Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena, is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli.The male is easily recognized by its bright blue head and back , its conspicuous white wingbars, and its light rusty breast and white belly...
, P. amoena - Indigo BuntingIndigo BuntingThe Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea, is a small seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter. It often migrates by night, using the...
, P. cyanea - Varied BuntingVaried BuntingThe Varied Bunting is a species of songbird in the Cardinal family, Cardinalidae.The range of the Varied Bunting stretches from the southern parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States south throughout Mexico as far as Oaxaca. Small disjunct populations occur in the state of...
, P. versicolor - Painted BuntingPainted BuntingThe Painted Bunting is a species of bird in the Cardinal family, Cardinalidae, that is native to North America.-Taxonomy:...
, P. ciris - Rose-bellied BuntingRose-bellied BuntingThe Rose-bellied Bunting is a species of bird in the Cardinalidae family. It is also known as Rosita's Bunting....
, P. rositae - Orange-breasted BuntingOrange-breasted BuntingThe Orange-breasted Bunting is a species of bird in the Cardinalidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is more abundant in second growth than in undisturbed forest...
, P. leclancherii