Editor’s Note On a recent trip to Wichita, Kansas, resident Pam Loyle (my co-grandmother to some pretty terrific kids) made a point of telling me how much she enjoyed my tribute to my mother in the article titled The Canary Is Singing. We started talking about local birds that we both love and for Pam the red-headed Downy woodpecker and the Cardinal stood out. I told her how much I missed seeing the Cardinal, especially, since they don’t seem to be in Colorado. She said she had Cardinals galore in her garden and when she got home she took these pictures for me. I will always treasure them. Thank you, Pam, for sending them. You are so thoughtful.
The Cardinal, Angel bird
Here is a little background about the Cardinal we thought you would enjoy:
The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. At about 9 inches, with a 12 inch wingspan, these popular birds are flashy members of the finch family. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they’re still breathtaking in winter’s snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning.
Only a few female North American songbirds sing, but the female Northern Cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. This may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest. A mated pair shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and slightly more complex song than the male. The male Cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces, it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder.
Nearly any bird feeder you put out ought to attract Northern Cardinals (as long as you live within their range), but they particularly seem to use sunflower seeds. Leave undergrowth in your backyard or around the edges, and you many have Cardinals nesting on your property.
Cardinal birds are symbolic birds. They symbolize positivity amidst the troubles we experience in our life. There is a quote about this belief that goes, “Cardinals appear when Angels are near.” Because of this, many have been associated with Cardinal sightings in their property to their departed loved ones. Cardinal symbolism has been around for ages. When red Cardinals appear it is thought to be a symbol of good luck, and they often show up when someone is about to receive some good news. If you see a cardinal, take it as a sign that something wonderful is about to happen in your life.
A perennial favorite among people, the Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states.
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