Name: Northern Cardinal

Description: A handsome, non-migratory bird, the Cardinal was named by the famous Swedish botanist Linnaeus because the bird's vermilion red plumage reminded him of the red robes of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. Both males and females have a crested head, with a heavy, Grosbeak-like bill, short, rounded wings, and a long tail.

Other Names: Redbird

Color: The male Cardinal is vermilion red with a large crest on its head, a black face and a heavy, conical red bill. The female has dull red wings and tail, feathers broadly edged with grayish olive and dull red mixed with a gray-olive crest. Her under parts are tawny; her breast has a hint of red; and her bill is reddish-pink. Young cardinals are browner than their parents, with coarse-looking plumage and black bills.

Sound: Songs in the Cardinal’s repertoire are like chants, a series of repeated single- or double-notes like “whoit-whoit-whoit,” “kew-kew-kew-kew,” “what-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer,” or “peer peer peer.” Both genders sing almost the entire year.

Preferred Environment: Cardinals can be found wherever there are woodland edges, fields, thickets, brushy undergrowth, suburbs, gardens, feeders with sunflower seeds, swamps and desert washes. They like an informal, wild garden better than one that is too well groomed, where the tangles have been cut away.

Nesting Habits: Female Cardinals do all the nest construction, although a male will sometimes contribute a twig or bit of vine. Nests are usually low, compact and range from well-lined to scarcely lined.

Food Preference: The Cardinal prefers to eat sunflower, safflower, millet and nuts.