Characteristics
 The pyrrhuloxia looks similar to the northern cardinal. It is seven to eight inches in length. The male is gray with a rosy red breast, red wings and tail, a red crest and a red face. The female looks similar but she is a little paler and lacks the red breast and face. The pyrrhuloxia has a thick yellow, parrot-like bill.
Range
The pyrrhuloxia can be found in southern Arizona and New Mexico and in southwestern Texas south to South America.
Habitat
The pyrrhuloxia lives in thorny thickets, usually along streambeds.
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Diet
The pyrrhuloxia forages on the ground for the seeds of grasses, weeds, and mesquite; cactus fruit and cottonwood catkins. In the summer, it also eats insects. It uses its powerful bill to crack open and crush seeds.
Life Cycle
 The female lays two to four eggs in a cup-shaped nest made of grass, bark and twigs and placed in a dense, thorny bush. The female incubates the eggs for about two weeks. During courtship and incubation, the male brings the female food. The chicks fledge in about 10 days and both the male and female care for the young.
Behavior
Pyrrhuloxia are nonmigratory, but they sometimes stray from their territories. In the winter, they may forage for food in huge flocks containing hundreds of birds.
Image Credits: Clipart.com
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