This article is about the endangered South American finch-like tanager. Not to be confused withnorthern cardinals with a rare genetic mutation making them yellow instead of red.
Theyellow cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata) is aspecies of South American bird in the tanager familyThraupidae. It is theonly member of itsgenus,Gubernatrix. It is very rare and can only be found in South America.
The yellow cardinal wasformally described in 1817 by the French ornithologistLouis Pierre Vieillot under thebinomial nameCoccothraustes cristata.[3][4] The specific epithet is from the Latincristatus meaning "crested" or "plumed".[5] The species was moved to its own genusGubernatrix by the French naturalistRené Lesson in 1837.[6] The genus name is the Latin word for "governess".[7]
Although traditionally included in the familyEmberizidae, a study published in 2011 found that the species was more closely related to the tanager familyThraupidae.[8] A comprehensive study of the tanagers published in 2014 found strong support for asister relationship between the yellow cardinal and thediuca finch.[9] The two species are known to hybridize. The yellow cardinal ismonotypic and nosubspecies are recognised.[10][11]
There was a study conducted that looked at the vocalization of the yellow cardinal in its habitat. It was found that there was some variation with thediuca finch.[clarification needed][15]
The current global population ofGubernatrix cristata is between 1000 and 2000.[16] Studies have shown that there are some genetic differences between different populations.[17] Another study has shown that the yellow cardinal presents plasticity in song production, with small differences in song among four different populations.[18]
^Jobling, James A. (2010).The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 180.ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
^Campagna, L.; Geale, K.; Handford, P.; Lijtmaer, D.A.; Tubaro, P.L.; Lougheed, S.C. (2011). "A molecular phylogeny of the Sierra-Finches (Phrygilus, Passeriformes): Extreme polyphyly in a group of Andean specialists".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.61 (2):521–533.Bibcode:2011MolPE..61..521C.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.07.011.hdl:11336/68885.PMID21807104.
^Barilla, James. "Zoopolis." My Backyard Jungle: The Adventures of an Urban Wildlife Lover Who Turned His Yard into Habitat and Learned to Live with It. New Haven: Yale UP, 2014. 296-97. Print.
^Domínguez, Marisol; Reboreda, Juan Carlos; Mahler, Bettina (2016). "Effects of fragmentation and hybridization on geographical patterns of song variation in the endangered Yellow CardinalGubernatrix cristata".Ibis.158 (4):738–746.doi:10.1111/ibi.12388.hdl:11336/61397.ISSN1474-919X.
^BirdLife International (2019) Species factsheet:Gubernatrix cristata. Downloaded fromhttp://www.birdlife.org on 13/04/2019
^Domínguez, M. , Reboreda, J. C. and Mahler, B. (2016), Effects of fragmentation and hybridization on geographical patterns of song variation in the endangered Yellow CardinalGubernatrix cristata. Ibis, 158: 738-746. doi:10.1111/ibi.12388
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