Northern Cardinal

Marked by striking sexual dimorphism, the Northern Cardinal pairs a brilliant crimson male, black-masked and crested, with a warm buffy-brown female tinged red on wings, crest, and tail. Both sexes sing loud, clear whistled phrases such as 'cheer-cheer-cheer' and 'birdy-birdy-birdy', the female's song softer than the male's. Its thick, conical, orange-red bill suits a diet of seeds, grains, fruits, and insects, taken mainly on the ground or in low shrubbery, and it is a frequent visitor to feeders stocked with sunflower seeds. It favours woodland edges, thickets, gardens, and suburbs across eastern and central North America, and its range is expanding northward. Cup nests hold one to five eggs, incubated for 11 to 13 days, with young fledging at 7 to 13 days. The species is classified as Least Concern.