Habitat
In their native South American range, Yellow-billed Cardinals inhabit the edges of marshes, wet grasslands, lakes, and rivers. They also gather around homes in search of food. In Hawaii, Yellow-billed Cardinals occur in dry, scrubby areas, including thickets of kiawe, an invasive tree native to South America.
Back to topFood
Yellow-billed Cardinals forage on the ground and on vegetation, feeding on seeds, young plant shoots, berries, and insects. They also eat food scraps and rice left out by people.
Back to topNesting
Nest Placement
Placed in the branches of a shrub or tree, 1.4–3.6 meters (5–12 feet) above the ground.
Nest Description
A cup made from plant fibers and lined with rootlets and hair.
Nesting Facts
| Clutch Size: | 3-4 eggs |
| Egg Description: | Greenish-ochre to creamy, with darker ochre or gray markings spread throughout. |
Behavior
Yellow-billed Cardinals are conspicuous birds, often foraging on the ground near water or on the edges of towns and villages. They occur in pairs and family groups, and during the nonbreeding season, in larger flocks.
Back to topConservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Yellow-billed Cardinal's conservation status as Least Concern. While its population size is unknown, this species has an extremely large range and its population trend appears to be stable.
Back to topCredits
BirdLife International. 2018. Paroaria capitata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22721602A132144777. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22721602A132144777.en.
Floyd, T. (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
Gwynne, J. A., R. S. Ridgely, G. Tudor, and M. Argel (2010). Birds of Brazil: the Pantanal and Cerrado. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Jaramillo, A. (2020). Yellow-billed Cardinal (Paroaria capitata), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.yebcar.01
Pearman, M., and J. I. Areta (2021). Birds of Argentina and the South-west Atlantic. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. and Berrett, D.G. (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Raine, H. and A. F. Raine (2020). American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Hawai'i. Scott & Nix, Inc. New York, NY, USA.