Dickcissel
Dickcissel, (Spiza americana), American bird usually placed in the family Cardinalidae. The male dickcissel—named for its song—is a streaky brown bird 16 cm (6.5 inches) long, with a black bib on its yellow breast, looking somewhat like a miniature meadowlark. Dickcissels are seedeaters. They breed in weedy fields of the central United States and winter in northern South America; some stray to the Atlantic coast in winter.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Dickcissel
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
13 November 2026
Access Date:
November 14, 2026