Today's Friday's Feathers belong to a male Northern Cardinal:
In my last Friday's Feathers post, I put up a picture of a female Northern Cardinal. This is a male. The Cardinal, as I wrote before, is a fairly common bird all over the U.S., and his brilliant red plumage and head crest make him one of the most instantly recognizable.
As mating season approaches, he'll fly to the top of the highest tree in the yard, and instead of the usual cheek! cheek! sounds, he will sing gloriously to attract a female. He will feed his mate in his courting behavior, and instead of running her off from the feeders, he will call her to the choicest morsels.
The babies aren't nearly as attractive, but at late spring and summer, they will bring the young ones around, and I'll try to get you some shots of them...
Happy Friday!
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3 comments:
Now that is one handsome bird!
I love the cardinals and I only have one pair that stops by...
What a beautiful bird. Strange how his behaviour changes around mating time. I can't imagine that happening in any other species - - - ;)
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