The Cardinal- One of America's Most Popular Birds

The Cardinal is one of the most popular birds in the Untied States, a welcome guest at feeding stations, especially in the winter. The bright red plumage of the cardinal, along with its crested head, makes it one of the most beautiful of all the North American birds. Also known as redbirds and Virginia nightingales, the cardinal is the state bird of no less than six states, and several sports teams have adopted the cardinal as their mascot. The cardinal will stay put during the winter, as long there is enough food and shelter to make it worth their while, and both the male and female of the species is an accomplished singer, with no shortage of songs. Nothing warms the heart quite like the sight of a handsome cardinal against a snowy background, and they are one of the most prominently displayed birds on Christmas cards every year.

Cardinals were once prized as cage birds for their renowned red features and singing ability, so much so that they were once trapped by the thousands in the south and brought to the north for this purpose. The Migratory Bird Act of 1918 put an end to this practice, and the cardinal has actually expanded its range since the 1800s, advancing northwards from its origins in the south to now inhabit all sections of the eastern United States and parts of the southern Canadian Maritimes. Cardinals live in woodlands, gardens, thickets, and residential areas. North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia all claim the cardinal as their state birds, and it has been successfully introduced to Hawaii and southern regions of California.

The male cardinal is easily the more brilliant of the species, with a bright red body and a black face. The female cardinal is a much lighter hue, grayish-brown almost with a reddish tint in the tail feathers and the wings. Both sexes have the trademark raised crest and extremely rugged beaks, very strong and a coral color. The young resemble the mother until they lose their feathers in the fall and grow their adult ones. A full grown cardinal is usually a shade under nine inches long.