Northern Cardinal / Cardinalis cardinalis

I have lived in a few different states, and none of them have had as many cardinals as Pennsylvania. It seems like I can step outside at anytime and find at least one cardinal. Even someone who isn't interested in wildlife is probably familiar with both the physical appearance and song of the male cardinal.

Until today I had never seen a juvenile cardinal. After a few searches to confirm what I was seeing, it seemed to match. These searches helped pick up more information about cardinals I was never aware of. Female cardinals are one of few female bird species that sing. They also do this at a time when it seems the least likely, and that's when she is incubating her eggs. It's hypothesized that this is to communicate with the male and give information to him about the nest. I also learned that they aren't always full of bright red feathers and oranges beaks either. These are features that are grown overtime.

Posted on July 25, 2020 02:34 AM by gzaborowski