Are there cardinals in Puerto Rico?

The Northern Cardinal does not reach Puerto Rico

According to Audubon, the Northern Cardinal is a permanent resident throughout its range: the eastern United States, southeastern Canada, and parts of the Southwest. Because it does not migrate, it is not expected on Caribbean islands like Puerto Rico. The male is bright red with a prominent crest and a massive pink bill; it is the only crested red bird in North America. It is 8–9 inches long.

In Puerto Rico it is not on SOPI's 2006 catalog or in the 2004–2009 breeding atlas. If you see a crested red bird in an island backyard, the careful first thought is an escaped cage bird or a different species, and it is worth documenting with photos before deciding it is a cardinal.

Red-crested Cardinal, a scarce introduction

The Red-crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata) is native to northern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Despite its name, it belongs to the tanager family, Thraupidae, not the cardinal family. It is recognized by its red head with a prominent crest, and it forages for seeds and insects on the ground in dry scrub and open areas.

It was introduced to Hawaii, where it was released between 1928 and 1931, to Florida, and to Puerto Rico. SOPI's catalog lists it as Introduced, but it did not appear among the nesting species during the 2004–2009 atlas, and in this site's data its record carries moderate confidence. It is a bird to document, not one to go looking for with expectations.

Puerto Rican Spindalis: the colorful bird most often confused

The Puerto Rican Spindalis is endemic and found almost everywhere: the atlas located it in 330 of 479 hexagons, from forests to gardens and plantations. The male has a black head with two white stripes and a fiery-orange collar and throat that turn bright yellow on the chest and belly. The female is olive-green with dull stripes on the head.

It eats fruit and small arthropods, and by swallowing small fruits whole it disperses seeds through forests and urban areas. It nests from January to June. Many visitors describe it as an orange cardinal or a red-and-black bird, but it has no crest, and its striped head pattern looks nothing like any cardinal's.

Tanagers and grosbeaks: the migrant reds

The Northern Cardinal's true relatives that reach Puerto Rico are migrants in the family Cardinalidae, and all are rare. The male Summer Tanager is rosy red all year, with no crest and a large pale bill. The male Scarlet Tanager is red with black wings and tail in spring but molts into a greenish plumage by late summer.

The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak has a black head, wings, back, and tail and a rose patch on a white breast. All three winter in the mainland tropics, from Mexico to South America, and in Puerto Rico they appear as occasional migrants; in this atlas's data they are classified as accidental. Check fruiting or flowering trees in fall and spring.

Northern Red Bishop and other introduced reds

The Northern Red Bishop is an introduced African weaver. The breeding male is intense reddish orange with black, and it can pass for a little red bird. It was first observed in Puerto Rico in 1971 and is now uncommon on the north coast from San Juan to Arecibo, in sugarcane fields with grassy edges and in wet, tall-grass lowland fields.

The Red Avadavat, another introduced species that nests on the island, is a sparrow-sized Asian estrildid finch, popular as a cage bird for the male's colorful breeding plumage. The Red Siskin, which SOPI's catalog calls Cardenalito, little cardinal, is also introduced and globally endangered. Size, bill shape, crest, and habitat separate these small red birds from a true cardinal.

Are there cardinals in Puerto Rico?

The Northern Cardinal does not live in Puerto Rico; it is not on the official list or in the breeding atlas. The only cardinal listed is the Red-crested Cardinal, a scarce introduced South American species that is not a true cardinal.

What red bird am I seeing in Puerto Rico?

It depends on where you are. In forests and gardens it is usually the Puerto Rican Spindalis, orange and yellow with a striped head. In northern cane fields and grasslands, the Northern Red Bishop. In fall or spring it may be a migrating Summer or Scarlet Tanager.

Why are there no Northern Cardinals in the Caribbean?

The Northern Cardinal is a permanent resident and does not migrate. Its range runs from the eastern United States and southeastern Canada to parts of the Southwest, so it does not cross the sea to islands like Puerto Rico.

Is the Red-crested Cardinal a real cardinal?

No. Despite the name, the Red-crested Cardinal belongs to the tanager family, Thraupidae, not Cardinalidae. It is native to South America and was introduced to Puerto Rico, Florida, and Hawaii.

Is the Puerto Rican Spindalis a cardinal?

No. The Puerto Rican Spindalis is an endemic bird from a different group. The male has a black head with two white stripes and an orange collar that shades to yellow; it has no crest. It is one of the most widespread birds on the island.

What is the Cardenalito in Puerto Rico?

SOPI's catalog uses Cardenalito for the Red Siskin, an introduced South American finch that is globally endangered. It is not a cardinal, and in this atlas's data its record carries moderate confidence.