When most people think of a cardinal, the brilliant red of a Northern Cardinal flashing across a snowy backyard likely comes to mind—and for good reason. With their bold colors, expressive crests, and sweet whistled songs, cardinals are some of the most beloved and recognizable birds in North America. But there’s more to the cardinal family than one iconic species.
Cardinals belong to the family Cardinalidae, a group that includes not only the famous Northern Cardinal but also other striking species like the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and the colorful Pyrrhuloxia of the desert Southwest. What ties them together isn’t just their beauty—though there’s plenty of that—but also their thick, conical bills adapted for seed-cracking, their rich vocalizations, and their preference for open woodlands, thickets, and backyard feeders.
These birds are mostly non-migratory, meaning once they move into your area, they’re likely there to stay. That makes them favorites among backyard birders, who often hear their sweet songs long before they spot the source in the branches. And while the males often steal the show with their color, females in this family are no less interesting – in fact, in many species, they sing too!
We’ll explore the cardinals of Arizona – from the familiar to the more regionally unique – highlighting how to identify them, where they live, and what makes each one special. Whether you’re filling a feeder, scanning a brushy trail, or just listening from the porch, you might be surprised by just how much cardinal charm is hiding in plain sight.
11 Cardinals in Arizona:
1. Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinals are spotted all year in Arizona, mostly in the south of the state. They are recorded in 17% of summer checklists and 15% of winter checklists submitted by bird watchers for the state.
The bright red male Northern Cardinal with black around their faces is an incredible sight, especially against a white winter background. They also have red crests and beaks.
Females are also a little showy with their brown coloring, sharp brown crest, red highlights, and red beaks.
- Cardinalis cardinalis
- Length: 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm)
- Weight: 1.5-1.7 oz (42-48 g)
- Wingspan: 9.8-12.2 in (25-31 cm)
Northern Cardinals live in the Eastern half of the US and some states in the south as far west as Arizona.
You can find Northern Cardinals in dense vegetation foraging for seeds, fruit, and insects. Northern Cardinals will sometimes attack their own reflection during the breeding season as they obsessively defend their territories.
Northern Cardinal Song:
Northern Cardinal Call:
Attract Northern Cardinals to your backyard with feeders full of sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, millet, and milo. They will feed from large tube feeders, hoppers, platform feeders, or food scattered on the ground.
2. Black-headed Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeaks are mainly spotted in Arizona during the breeding season from April to October but some are seen in the south of the state all year. They appear in 20% of summer checklists.
3. Pyrrhuloxia
Pyrrhuloxia are common in Arizona and are found in the south of the state all year. They are spotted in 5% of summer checklists and 8% of winter checklists.
Pyrrhuloxia males are grey with lots of red coloring to the face, crest, breast and tail. Females are dull gray with less red coloring.
- Cardinalis sinuatus
- Length: 8.3 in (21 cm)
- Weight: 0.8-1.5 oz (24-43 g)
They are residents of the hot deserts in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico.
During the breeding season, they fiercely defend their territory but in winter they can be found in flocks of up to 1000.
Pyrrhuloxia feed mostly on seeds but also insects. They can be found at feeders with sunflower seeds but more often prefer them scattered on the ground.
4. Western Tanager
Western Tanagers are spotted in Arizona during the breeding season, but their numbers increase during the migration in May and again in August and September. They occur in 15% of summer checklists and up to 25% of checklists during the migration.
Western Tanagers have a flaming orange-red head, yellow body, and black wings. Females have only red faces, and their bodies are yellow-green.
- Piranga ludoviciana
- Length: 6.3-7.5 in (16-19 cm)
- Weight: 0.8-1.3 oz (24-36 g)
Western Tanagers breed in western US states and western Canada. They can be seen during migration in the east and south of this range. Winter is spent in Mexico and Central America.
You can find Western Tanagers in open conifer forests, but they stay hidden in the canopy, despite their bright coloring. Their numbers are actually increasing in the last forty years.
They eat mainly insects in summer, such as wasps and grasshoppers, and in the fall and winter, they also eat fruit.
Western Tanager Song:
Nests of Western Tanagers are built by females in open areas of trees and are made from large twigs and then roots and smaller twigs to weave them into a sturdy cup shape. The nest is lined with soft grass, pine needles, hair, and other plant materials. They lay around four eggs which take around two weeks to hatch.
Attract Western Tanagers with dried fruit, cut oranges, and other fruits from bird feeders.
Fun fact: Western Tanagers’ red coloring probably comes from eating insects that produce a pigment that they cannot produce themselves.
5. Blue Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeaks breed in Arizona and are most common from May to October but some hang around all year in the south of the state. They are recorded in 11% of summer checklists.
6. Summer Tanager
Summer Tanagers are frequently spotted in Arizona during the breeding season from April to October and appear in 11% of checklists at this time.
Summer Tanager males are bright red birds with large chunky beaks. Females and juveniles are mainly yellow with hints of green on their backs.
- Piranga rubra
- Length: 6.7 in (17 cm)
- Weight: 1.1 oz (30 g)
Summer Tanagers breed in southern and eastern states before heading to Central and South America for winter.
You can find Summer Tanagers in open woodlands, and they feed on bees and wasps in mid-flight. They catch them and kill them by beating them against a branch and rubbing the stinger off before eating them.
Summer Tanager Song:
Nests of Summer Tanagers are made by the females from grass and other plant material towards the end of overhanging branches. The nest is not very well constructed, but they hold around four eggs. The eggs hatch in about ten days, and the young take another ten days to leave the nest.
Attract Summer Tanagers to your backyard with berry bushes and fruit trees.
Fun fact: Young Scarlet Tanagers are fed by their parents for another three weeks after leaving the nest, as they are cannot fly very well for a few more weeks.
7. Lazuli Bunting
Lazuli Buntings spend the breeding season in Arizona but they are also spotted in the south of the state all year. They occur in 3% of summer checklists and 1% of winter checklists.
8. Hepatic Tanager
Hepatic Tanagers can be spotted all year in Arizona. They are recorded in 6% of summer checklists and 1% of winter checklists.
Hepatic Tanager males are red birds with some gray on the back. Females are yellow.
- Piranga flava
- Length: 3.5-7.9 in (8.8-20 cm)
- Weight: 0.8-1.7 oz (23-47 g)
- Wingspan: 12.6 in (32 cm)
Hepatic Tanagers breed in southwestern states and Mexico before spending the winter in Mexico, Central and South America.
They can be found in mountain ranges with pine or pine and oak woodlands and feed on insects and spiders. They will also eat some berries such as cherry and grapes.
9. Varied Bunting
Varied Buntings are usually spotted in the southeast of Arizona during migration.
10. Indigo Bunting
Indigo Buntings breed in Arizona and are best spotted from May to September.
Indigo Buntings are small birds, with the males being bright blue with streaks of black on the wings and tail, and the females are brown.
- Passerina cyanea
- Length: 4.7-5.1 in (12-13 cm)
- Weight: 0.4-0.6 oz (12-18 g)
- Wingspan: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
Indigo Buntings migrate far from breeding grounds in eastern US states, southeastern Canada, and southern US states to winter grounds in Florida, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
You can find Indigo Buntings in weedy fields and shrubby areas foraging for seeds and insects.
Indigo Bunting Song:
Attract Indigo Buntings to your backyard with small seeds such as nyjer and thistle.
11. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are usually spotted in Arizona during spring migration in May but they are not common here.
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and immature males are brown with lots of streaking and a flash of yellow under the wings.
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks males are black-and-white birds with black heads and backs, white bellies, and red breasts. They also have a flash of red under their wings.
- Pheucticus ludovicianus
- Length: 7.1-8.3 in (18-21 cm)
- Weight: 1.4-1.7 oz (39-49 g)
- Wingspan: 11.4-13.0 in (29-33 cm)
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks breed in northeastern US states, the Midwest, and southern and central Canada. They can be seen during migration in southeastern US states. Winter is spent in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
You can find Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in forests, parks, and backyards foraging for insects, berries, and seeds.
Nests of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are placed in the branches of a low tree. They are made of loosely-formed twigs, grass, and plants. There are about five eggs that take two weeks to hatch. After that, both parents take turns incubating the eggs.
Attract Rose-breasted Grosbeaks to your backyard with sunflower seeds and peanuts.
