About the Red Siskin (Cardenalito).

The Red Siskin (Carduelis cucullata) its a seminomadic bird originary from Venezuela. His colorful plumage is intense red with black or gray and due to the attractiveness of its color and the practices of capture and predation, it is threatened with extinction.
The Red Siskin or Cardenalito is a natural symbol of the #Lara state (Venezuela) . In addition to giving name to the baseball team of that entity (Cardenales de Lara) and a large number of commercial establishments in the region, it also identifies the beautiful promenade that gives access to the city of #Barquisimeto, popular for its huge sculptures of musical instruments and aboriginal pottery characteristic of the state.

A threatened species.

The Red Siskin has been classified as "Endangered" internationally by IUCN since 1952, appearing in Appendix I of CITES and, in Venezuela, classified as "Critically Endangered". It is listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service y en la U.S. Endangered Species Act de 1973.
www.cardenalito.org.ve

The main causes of the state of extinction of the Red Siskin, are:

• The destruction of their habitat due to the extension of the agricultural frontier and an uncontrolled urban expansion.
• Hunting of the Red Siskinto obtain its feathers for decorative purposes.
• The extraction of their habitat to be sold to collectors abroad.
• Its crossing with yellow Canaries to obtain Red Canaries.

Urban expansion has affected the habitat of the Cardenalito.
Photography: Female Red Siskin. Julio Renee. 2017.

Illustrates three Venezuelan Bills

Since 2008, the Red Siskinhas illustrated the reverse side of all the highest denomination banknotes in #Venezuela. Nowadays it is printed in the notes of 100 bolivars, 20 thousand bolivars and 100 thousand bolivars, however, although it has been a considerable diffusion, efforts, campaigns and individual and collective, private and governmental initiatives are much larger and more effective than generate awareness about the alarming situation of this beautiful and important Venezuelan bird and to prevent its extraction and commercialization outside the national territory.

www.cardenalito.org.ve

About how I photographed the Red Siskin.

.

Gavilán. Photograph © Julio Renee. 2018.

Zamuros taking a sunbathing Photograph: © Julio Renee. 2018.

My surprise of the day: a beautiful example of the Red Siskin in its natural habitat.
Photograph: © Julio Renee. 2018.

Photograph: © Julio Renee. 2018.

Photograph: © Julio Renee. 2018.

Did you like my post? Vote, comment and spread it: @juliorenee

If you want to buy any of my photographs, contact me.

Lee este artículo en Español: Aquí