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Size: 7½-9"
Males are a brilliant red with a crest and black face; red bill.
Females grayish-olive above, paler below. Varying amounts
of red on crest, wings and tail: pink bill; crest and black area
around bill smaller than in the male.
Voice: many variations; a whistled "what-chew, what-chew, wit wit wit"
also "birdy-birdy-birdy"
Range: From Nova Scotia to the Dakotas south to Florida and Texas (small area of Arizona
and southern California)
This bird is a seed-eater. Sunflower seeds from a platform feeder are their favorite in
our yard. Since Cardinals are nonmigratory, they are sure to brighten up your winter
landscape.
The Cardinal population in our yard has been very sparse the last few years and we very
rarely see them. At first we had quite a large group as regular visitors but since then we
only get an occasional stray.
One spring I enjoyed listening to a male that sang in a pine tree that is outside my
office door. I finally saw a little female trying to track him down. I guess all that
singing paid off in the end.
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