Dickcissel, Spiza americana
Dickcissel, Spiza americana, Female. Photograph taken within the Reserva Monte Mojino, Alamos, Sonora, November 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.
Dickcissel, Spiza americana, Male. September 2017. Contributor and location unknown.
Background and Identification
The Dickcissel, Spiza americana, is a member of the Cardinalidae Family of Cardinals and Allies, which has forty-nine members placed in fourteen genera and is the sole global species of the Spiza Genus. This species is a small and stocky songbird easily recognized by its markings and characteristic song. The name “Dickcissel” comes from the bird’s song, which sounds like “dick-dick-ceessa-ceessa”. Their diets consist of seeds including rice, sorghum, and other grasses. They have life spans of up to five years. The Dickcissel has been poorly studied and very little has been documented about their biology and behavioral patterns. They are known in Mexico as Arrocero.
The Dickcissel is sparrow-shaped and small in stature. They are sexually dimorphic and dichromatic, meaning that males and females differ in plumage and overall size. Males are about 20% larger than the females and have a streaked grayish head, a yellowish supercilium, a white chin, thin lateral throat stripes, a black throat patch, a bright yellow breast, a chestnut shoulder, a brown-streaked back, a light-gray belly, and blackish wings and tail. Females are similar to the males but have duller facial and head patterns, a fainter lateral throat stripe, and do not have a black throat patch. Their pale pinkish brown bill is tipped in slate black in winter and pale brown with a grey to bluish grey tinge during breeding season, their iris is dark brown, and their legs and feet are brown. Juveniles are dull, resembling females but often lack yellow and show dark centers to back feathers and cream to buff tips to the upper wing coverts. This appearance forms distinct wing bars. The legs and feet of juveniles are pale pinkish buff.
Habitat and Geographical Range
The Dickcissel is found in large, open fields and wetlands within seasonally flooded grasslands, savannas, and croplands that have abundant seeds at elevations up to 500 m (1,640 feet). They also favor prairies, agricultural fields, and any other areas with tall grasses and scattered shrubs.
The Dickcissel is a long-distance migrant who summers in the United States and spends the majority of winter in South America. Huge flocks and roosts are common. They are known to make erratic semi-nomadic movements in pursuit of food outside their home range which results in dramatic year-to-year changes in distribution and abundance. In Mexico, the Dickcissel is found within all coastal regions making stopovers en route to wintering grounds in South America. A few birds remain in southern Veracruz, Tabasco, and eastern Campeche for the winter. On the Pacific Slope wintering birds are found within the coastal region from southern Sinaloa to Guatemala.
Common Misidentifications
The Dickcissel can sometimes be confused with other small grassland birds within its geographical range. It resembles sparrows in size and body shape, and its breeding male plumage might be mistaken for the Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, though Dickcissels are much smaller. Additionally, females and juveniles may be confused with House Sparrows due to their similar drab brown coloration. However, the distinct yellowish eyebrow stripe and muted coloration help distinguish them.
Conservation Status
From a conservation perspective the Dickcissel is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. However, in some regions, their populations are in radical decline. Their long-term survival is threatened by habitat destruction caused by human development. Throughout their wintering range, they are considered to be a pest of crops and are targets of eradication programs by farmers. In some regions, they are hunted for use as human food. This species has demonstrated a strong ability to adapt to major habitat changes within both their breeding and non-breeding ranges including large areas of prairie grasslands that have been replaced by agricultural development.