Pheucticus Granatellus Spiza Cyanoloxia Amaurospiza Cyanocompsa Passerina Habia Chlorothraupis Cardinalis Caryothraustes Periporphyrus Driophlox Piranga Cardinalidae (sometimes referred to as the "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply the "cardinals") is a family of New World-endemic passerine birds that consists of cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings.

Members of this group are beloved for their brilliant red, yellow, or blue plumages seen in many of the breeding males in this family.

[2][3][4] The plumages in cardinalids are sexually dichromatic as many males of various species display bright reds, oranges, blues or blacks.

These species, such as the indigo bunting, will exhibit a complex molt cycle going through four different stages of plumage coverage within their first year of life.

[5][6] Traditionally, members of this group were classified as a tribe of the finch family Fringillidae (Cardinalini), characterized by heavy, conical, seed-crushing bills.

The group consisted of the genera Pheucticus, Parkerthraustes, Saltator, Spiza, Cyanocompsa, Cyanoloxia, Porphyrospiza, Passerina, Caryothraustes, Periporphyrus, and Cardinalis.

The genera classified as thraupids at the time, Piranga, Habia, Chlorothraupis, and Amaurospiza, are found to be part of cardinalid radiation.

In addition the genus Granatellus, originally classified as a parulid warbler, are also found to be part of Cardinalidae.

[10][11] A 2021 paper by Guallar et al. based on the preformative molting pattern of cardinalids suggested the ancestor of this group was a forest-dwelling bird that dispersed into open habitats on numerous occasions.

[13] The genus level cladogram of the Cardinalidae shown below is based on molecular phylogenetic study published in 2024 that analysed DNA sequences flanking ultraconserved elements (UCEs).

[9] The number of species in each genus is taken from the list maintained by Frank Gill, Pamela C. Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC).

[3] The western tanager is the northernmost species in the family, with their breeding ranges occurring in the southern portions of the Northwest Territories.

Once their breeding season begins, members of this group will supplement themselves with invertebrate prey, vital when raising their young and refueling their energetic costs of reproduction and other daily activities.

The genera Chlorothraupis, Habia, Piranga, and Granatellus have slightly longer and less deep bills, which their diet mostly consists of insects, fruit, nectar and sap, less so on seeds.

Even more unusual is the females of a few species, such as the scarlet tanager,[1] northern cardinal, pyrrhuloxia, and black-headed grosbeak, which sing as well.

One study led by Dr. Brooke L. Bateman published in July 2020 focused on the risk North American birds will face from climate change and the measures needed to protect them.

The first study assessed 604 species from the United States found that if the planet warmed by 3.0 degrees Celsius many species, especially arctic birds, waterbirds, and boreal and western forest birds, will be highly vulnerable to climate change and future conservation efforts will need to be in place.

[17] These species will either lose some substantial amount of their range or they will migrate up north to escape the sudden change in their habitat.