Breeding the Red capped Cardinal

Abstract

When most people think of Cardinals, an image of a crested finch-like bird comes to mind. The most commonly encountered species in American aviculture is the Red-crested Cardinal Paroaria coronata [formerly Paroaria cucu!lata] which has a crest, and is also called the Brazilian Cardinal. Cardinals are birds that I have had great interest in, and I have worked with Red-crested Cardinals for some years now.

 As an Australian immigrant I have always had an elevated image of Red-crested Cardinals, since they are highly prized and sought after in Australia. I can remember how strange it was on my visit to Hawaii watching these birds venture into park trash cans looking for food. They were scavenging whilst House Sparrows were dining on the floor at a nearby open-air restaurant. I think it may have been that vacation that "jumped started" my interest in cardinals. Shortly after that experience I settled in America, and purchased my first pair of cardinals from a pet shop in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. Having great success with this pair, and their offspring, l was eager to find another species of cardinal to work with someday.

Back in 1999, we went to a Bird Mart, and to my surprise found some Red-capped Cardinals for sale. The vendor had one pair left and a cage with approximately one dozen extra males. I knew who the original importer of these cardinals was and could have purchased them directly from him for less money, but my first and last dealing with him was less than favorable. I decided that it was best to buy birds that could be viewed and hand picked rather than risk being shipped males instead of pairs, which had happened with some other species that I had previously ordered.

The vendor informed us that the importer had them surgically sexed. The vendor has a good reputation and guaranteed they were a pair. Experience with Reel-crested Cardinals gave us some knowledge on the subtle differences to look for and to what a pair should behave like. After spending some time observing the pair at the Bird Mart we decided to purchase them along with a spare male.

Individual birds of any species have their own behavioral traits, and without having a large quantity of unrelated birds to study, any conclusions that are made about a species can only be based on personal experience. Environmental factors such as housing, etc., can have a big impact on the bird's behavior.

Having kept Red-crested

Cardinals for a number of years it is difficult to avoid comparing the two species, and since most people are familiar with Red-crested Cardinals, behavior differences may be of some interest. Some males are more aggressive than others. This may be true with Red-capped Cardinals, but it appears that they are more docile towards their mates. They are also less confiding and less curious about things you bring into the aviary. Red-crested's will come down right away to see what you have left them, Red-capped's will wait until you are a safe distance from the aviary before investigating.

Not being very musically inclined I can only say that Redcapped Cardinals produce a softer and more melodious song than the strong vocalizations of the Red-crested Cardinals during breeding season. The Red-crested song can be heard from some distance, while one has to be fairly close to hear the song of the Red-capped. It does not carry as far and they do not have the short monotonous call Red-crested Cardinals use during the breeding season.

Like most of their close relatives in the Genus Paroaria, Red-capped Cardinals do not have a crest. The lack of this attractive feature is compensated for by their color scheme. The contrast between the colors is enhanced by several factors. The dark areas on the back, wings and tail are glossy black rather than gray, as it is in the more familiar Red-crested Cardinal. The red on the head is retained even after several molts in captivity. Some species of birds when first imported are bright red because of their natural diet in their native habitat, and as they molt in captivity they lose the bright red to a duller red-orange. Our Red-capped Cardinals have retained that very attractive red coloring probably due to the diet we feed. It is likely that they are able to metabolize the necessary nutrients more efficiently to retain the vibrant colors. They have a black throat and an elliptical black band around their eyes that extends from the base of the bill to behind the eye. The Iris is a golden red color in adults, and, interestingly, a deep blue in juveniles. The bill is a horn color blending into gray/black towards the tip. The legs are gray and have a strong grip.

 

 

 

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