Today we feature another of our backyard regulars, the Northern Cardinal. If you live in the eastern two-thirds of the country, you'll have no problem spotting one. Just listen for that "metallic" chip or hang a feeder in your yard.....DONE. In our yard, Cardinals are the first to appear at dawn, and the last to leave, well past dusk. In late evenings during the fall and winter, long after all the other birds have retired for the night, we've counted as many as twenty Cardinals foraging on the lawn.
The adult male Northern Cardinal is probably more responsible for turning people into birding enthusiasts, than any other bird in history. Who can resist that handsome and stylish brilliant red bird? He has a sharp crest, black face with a cone-shaped orange bill. The adult female, equally as beautiful, is reddish-brown overall with warm reddish wings, tail and tip of her crest. She has a grayish-black face and an orange bill. Juveniles resemble adult females, but they have black bills.
Both male and female Cardinals are great singers. Like an audition, males sing in the early spring while the female selects the best singer as her mate. During courtship, the male feeds seeds to the female beak-to-beak, resembling "a kiss". In the spring and summer during breeding season, both sexes are very territorial.
The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states, more than any other species. It's the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Enjoy these photos of the Northern Cardinal.....tweet.....tweet!!
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| Northern Cardinal (mated pair) (Taken 2/1/11, Our Backyard) |
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| Northern Cardinal (Immature Male) (Taken 6/3/12, Our Backyard) |
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| (Taken 9/11/12, Our Backyard) |
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