All birds/Cardinalidae/Dickcissel
AI reconstruction of Dickcissel (Spiza americana)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
Verified source photographBill KeimCC-BY · View source
PRB-0387Passeriformes

Dickcissel

Sabanero Americano

Spiza americana

Accidental / vagrantIUCN LC · Least Concern

The dickcissel (Spiza americana) is a small seed-eating migratory bird in the family Cardinalidae. It breeds on the prairie grasslands of the Midwestern United States and winters in Central America, northern Colombia, and northern Venezuela. It is the only member of the genus Spiza, though some sources list another supposedly extinct species.

FamilyCardinalidaeCardinals and Allies
Puerto Rico occurrenceAccidental / vagrantAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatgrasslandsGrassland
Primary dietSeedOmnivore
Average mass31.259999999999998 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementMigratoryTerrestrial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC1001218Recording 1 of 3song
Spectrogram of Dickcissel: song
SpectrogramSpiza americana

Play: song by Matt Longabaugh

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Sound recorded by Matt Longabaugh · XC1001218 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Dickcissel

The dickcissel (Spiza americana) is a small seed-eating migratory bird in the family Cardinalidae. It breeds on the prairie grasslands of the Midwestern United States and winters in Central America, northern Colombia, and northern Venezuela. It is the only member of the genus Spiza, though some sources list another supposedly extinct species.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
grasslands
Elevation
0–1500 m
Nest
Cup / bowl · Shrub / bush / vine; Grass
Clutch
3–7 eggs
Social behavior
Social / flocking; Solitary

Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading