Red Gallery – Northern Cardinal
You are welcome to the Northern Cardinal Photo Gallery, every Saturday!
It’s suggested to relax and enjoy!
The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull reddish olive. The northern cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. A clutch of three to four eggs is laid, and two to four clutches are produced each year. It was once prized as a pet, but its sale as a cage bird was banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
Enjoyed your photographs thank you.
Thank you very much, Susan. 🙂
That’s gorgeous! Is its beak serrated or irregular or is it an optical illusion?
Our (European) Robins have a similar courtship ritual as your Northern Cardinal – the male feeds the female.
Yes, birds of certain species do that. Thank you Val for sharing. 🙂
Beautiful as always, HJ! 🙂
Thanks so much Donna! 🙂
I didn’t realize the northern cardinal was once prized as a pet. Thank goodness for that Migratory Bird Act…saved so many of our feathered friends from declining populations. Great post and wonderful photos, HJ.
I’m so glad myself because otherwise I would not had my favorite friends! Thank you very much my friend. 🙂
Thank you for sharing…these beautiful birds are one of my favorites.
Thank you Mags. 🙂