Friday's Feathers: Female Cardinal

Today's Friday's Feathers belong to a female Northern Cardinal:


For a change, I wanted to show a photo of a bird that was actually standing still! No blur, no butts, no branches. Isn't she a beauty?

**I sometimes forget that there are people all over the world who might not be familiar with our flora and fauna. Oops!

Yes, the Northern Cardinal (another one of those birds with "Northern" in their names, who do not necessarily stay north) is actually quite common over much of the U.S. In fact, the cardinal is the "State Bird" of no fewer than seven different states! The male is more familiar to most people. He looks exactly like her, except that everywhere you see brown / buff, he is bright red all over. Very striking. I'd like to get an equally clear shot of him up soon for you.