CreatureData

Dickcissel

Spiza americana (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The dickcissel (Spiza americana) is a species in the family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 24.6 g to 28.5 g and live up to 4 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
Photo: CheepShot · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the dickcissel

Weight
24.6 g – 28.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
4 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
4.83 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.75src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the dickcissel live?

Not recorded

What is the dickcissel?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Dickcissel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dickcissel&oldid=1384326303), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the dickcissel endangered?

The dickcissel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the dickcissel classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCardinalidae
  6. genusSpiza
  7. SpeciesSpiza americana (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

Synonyms Alauda calandra, Emberiza americana, Euspiza americana, Fringilla flavicollis, Hortulanus nigricollis, Sitta americana

Other names and names in other languages (49)
  • Black-throated buntingEnglish
  • Judas birdEnglish
  • Townsend's buntingEnglish
  • ديكيسيلArabic
  • عصفور الراية أسود الحنجرةArabic
  • cardenal dels arrossarsCatalan
  • papežík americkýCzech
  • bras AmericaWelsh
  • DicksisselDanish
  • RotschulterkardinalGerman
  • DickzisselGerman
  • kaŝtanflugila kardinaloEsperanto
  • ArroceroSpanish
  • Arrocero americanoSpanish
  • Gorrión pecho amarilloSpanish
  • Sabanero americanoSpanish
  • Sabanero ArroceroSpanish
  • põld-kuhiknokkEstonian
  • Amerikar berdantzaBasque
  • preeriakardinaaliFinnish
  • dickcissel d'AmériqueFrench
  • Dickcissel d’AmériqueFrench
  • Gealbhan bibdhubhIrish
  • דיקסיסלHebrew
  • bjelogrli batačCroatian
  • préripintyHungarian
  • SkjaldtittlingurIcelandic
  • Spiza americanaItalian
  • ムナグロノジコJapanese
  • amerikinė startaLithuanian
  • kardinālžubīteLatvian
  • Daatsohí binátsʼiin łitsooígííNavajo
  • sisselspurvNorwegian Bokmål
  • sisselsporvNorwegian Nynorsk
  • ArozeroPapiamento
  • Para di Aña Dashi GrisPapiamento
  • łuszczyk czarnogardłyPolish
  • savaneiroPortuguese
  • papa-capim-americanoPortuguese
  • savaneiro-americanoPortuguese
  • Американская спизаRussian
  • Овсянковый кардинальчикRussian
  • FiskesbuokŋacihciNorthern Sami
  • pápežík čiernohrdlýSlovak
  • vrabčevecSlovenian
  • DiksizelSerbian
  • Sarılı ÇinteTurkish
  • лускунUkrainian
  • 美洲雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the dickcissel

Other species in the same family Cardinalidae.

CompareDickcissel vs Northern cardinalDickcissel vs Indigo buntingDickcissel vs Rose-breasted grosbeakDickcissel vs Painted bunting

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the dickcissel?

An adult dickcissel weighs 24.6 g – 28.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the dickcissel endangered?

The dickcissel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the dickcissel live?

The dickcissel has a recorded lifespan of 4 years.

What kind of animal is the dickcissel?

The dickcissel (Spiza americana) belongs to the family Cardinalidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Dickcissel (Spiza americana). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dickcissel

MLA

“Dickcissel (Spiza americana).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/dickcissel.

BibTeX
@misc{dickcissel_2026,
  title = {Dickcissel (Spiza americana)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/dickcissel},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}