GALLERY: Birds | Dogs | Wildlife
The male Northern Cardinal is easy to spot because of its bright red plumage, the female is a beige color making it more difficult to see among trees and branches. These lovely birds, sometimes called red birds found only in the New World. They belong to the Finch family and are also known as Cardinal Grosbeaks. I see and hear them quite often in my yard, both the male and female have a reportoire of melodious songs.
Cardinals are quite hardy, in fact most don't migrate to warmer climates on approach of winter but stay through the cold snowy season in many places including here in Canada.
It's easy to see why this beautiful songbird is a subject of many artists paintings, me including. The vinette pictured here is a digital painting of a Cardinal perched on a branch surrounded by dogwood flowers, but I guess they could pass for apple blossoms too. Prints of it are available on fine art paper and gallery wrapped canvas. If you prefer art on more practical items such as mugs, tote bags or keepsake boxes it just so happens that you can buy this Cardinal art on such products in my online store at Zazzle.
Cardinal Facts
- Cardinals are about 9 inches long
- Are found as far south as British Honduras
- Their habit ranges from moist to arid
- cardinals begin to sing at 3-6 weeks of age
- Cardinals have been known to live up to 15 years
- Are one of the most favorite and best known garden birds
- The name "cardinal" is also used for some species of buntings found in South America
- Male cardinals are very territorial to the point of fighting its own reflection in windows
- Both male and females sing and have a variety of pleseant sounding melodies
- Are social and will even join flocks belonging to other bird species