Dickcissel
Spiza americana
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCardinalidae (Cardinals and Allies)
- GenusSpiza (Dickcissels)
- SpeciesSpiza americana (Dickcissel)
About the Dickcissel
The dickcissel (Spiza americana) is a small seed-eating migratory bird in the family Cardinalidae. It breeds on the prairie grasslands of the Midwestern United States and winters in Central America, northern Colombia, and northern Venezuela. It is the only member of the genus Spiza, though some sources list another supposedly extinct species.
The dickcissel was formally described in 1789 by German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin under the binomial name Emberiza americana. Gmelin based his account on the "black-throated bunting" that the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant had described and illustrated in 1785 in his Arctic Zoology. The dickcissel is now the only species placed in the genus Spiza that was introduced in 1824 by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The genus name Spiza is the Ancient Greek word for a common type of finch, now assumed to be a chaffinch. The species is monotypic; no subspecies are recognised.
The dickcissel is part of a group of the Cardinalidae that also includes Amaurospiza, Cyanocompsa, Cyanoloxia, and Passerina. Spiza is the only one among these that lacks blue structural colors in its plumage. Though the color pattern and habits... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Dickcissel in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Bastimentos Island National Marine Park
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Blue-black Grosbeak
Cyanocompsa cyanoides
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Golden-collared Manakin
Manacus vitellinus
Variable Seedeater
Sporophila corvina
Prothonotary Warbler
Protonotaria citrea
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Dickcissel in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dickcissel sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, based on 128 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Dickcissel in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Dickcissel in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park in our monthly data.