Species Name: Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Length: 8.75 inches

Description: A large passerine with a large bill and prominent crest. Adult males are bright red with a black bib that forms a small mask around the beak and eyes. Wings slightly darker; tail longish. Females buff brown to buff olive; wings and tail reddish; crest tinged with red. Juvenile male browner overall; juvenile female lacks red tones. Bill large and conical; red in adults; dull brown in juvenile.

Range: Widespread in eastern US and northern Mexico, extending into southern New Mexico and southern Arizona. Non-migratory.

Behavior: A familiar backyard bird in most of range. Generally shy. Often feeds in the open late in the day near dusk. Distinctive song and call note often heard from deep within shrubs or trees.

Related or Similar Species: The Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) is sometimes called the "desert cardinal," and closely resembles a female or juvenile Northern Cardinal. In the limited area of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas where their ranges overlap, separates them by the shape and color of the bill - the Pyrrhuloxia's bill is yellow, thick, and strongly curved. Also note the mask on the male Pyrrhuloxia is red.

The Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) of the southeastern US is a less saturated shade of red overall, without the black mask, crest, and distinctive bill. It is also more likely to be found in wet woods. In the southwest, the Hepatic Tanager (Piranga flava) replaces the Summer Tanager at higher elevations where the Northern Cardinal is less likely to be encountered.

Identification: Male cardinals are unmistakable, and are an icon of modern society. Females and juveniles are less well known to the general public, but easy to identify by the crest and the distinctive bill.

Advice on Finding and Photographing: Most cardinals are photographed in backyards, where a feeding station can be maintained and the birds can be acclimated to the photographer. Popular public parks can also be good locations, especially where there are picnic tables - cardinals often get used to feeding on scraps and handouts at these locations.

In more wild locations, listen for the distinctive song or call note, especially in shrubby areas.

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Richard Ditch been looking at birds and taking their photographs since the early 1970's, when he caught the "birding bug" from a friend at work. He was very active as a birder when he lived in New Jersey (1970-1994), maintaining lists of all the birds he saw each year in the state and elsewhere. Rich was a volunteer and field trip leader at the Owl Haven Nature Center (part of the New Jersey Audubon Society) and was a member of the Board of Directors for many years, along with being a frequent contributor to their quarterly magazine and to Records of New Jersey Birds. After moving to Phoenix, AZ in 1994 as a result of a job change, he found the birds to be a lot different and went through a rapid period of learning new species and new forms of species. Richard is also a very active Member of our PhotoMigrations community and is a regular contributor to our forums. Please feel free to email him and be sure to visit his website located at: Birds in Nature - Images of Wild Birds.