The female is fawn-colored, with mostly grayish-brown tones and a slight reddish tint on the wings, crest, and tail feathers. The color becomes duller and darker on the back and wings. The adult male is a brilliant crimson red color with a black face mask over the eyes, extending to the upper chest. The male averages slightly larger than the female. The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21–23.5 cm (8.3–9.3 in) and a wingspan of 25–31 cm (9.8–12.2 in). The term 'northern' in the common name refers to its range, as it is the northernmost cardinal species. The common name, as well as the scientific name, of the northern cardinal refers to the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, who wear distinctive red robes and caps. In 1983, the scientific name was changed again to Cardinalis cardinalis and the common name was changed to 'northern cardinal', to avoid confusion with the several other species also termed cardinals. In 1918, the scientific name was changed to Richmondena cardinalis to honor Charles Wallace Richmond, an American ornithologist. In 1838, it was placed in the genus Cardinalis and given the scientific name Cardinalis virginianus, which means 'Virginia cardinal'. It was initially included in the genus Loxia (as Loxia cardinalis), which now contains only crossbills. The northern cardinal was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The northern cardinal is one of three birds in the genus Cardinalis and is included in the family Cardinalidae, which is made up of passerine birds found in North and South America. It was once prized as a pet, but its sale as a cage bird was banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. A clutch of three to four eggs is laid, and two to four clutches are produced each year. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. The northern cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a reddish olive color. It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in). Its habitat includes woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and wetlands. It is also an introduced species in a few locations such as Bermuda and Hawaii. It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, New Mexico, southern Arizona, southern California, and south through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. During mate-feeding, a behavior where the male bird feeds seeds to the female, a softer took sound may be heard.The northern cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis) is a bird in the genus Cardinalis it is also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal (which was its name prior to 1985). Cardinals also have as many as 16 different calls used to communicate! The most common is a metallic sounding chirp that is used to warn off intruders or predators or alert their mate as they approach the nest with food. In spring and summer, cardinals sing a unique song comprised of a two-part repeating whistle or tweet. Since these birds do not typically migrate, it is common during winter to see a bright red cardinal in beautiful contrast against a snowy white background! Females of this species have mostly brown bodies with bright red accents on their crest, wings and tail. The male northern cardinal features a red body with a bright red pointed crest on the top of its head. These beautiful birds are common visitors to backyard bird feeders and are well known for both their appearance and their song! While there are many species of cardinals which vary in appearance, the most noticeable is the northern cardinal. Birdwatchers will delight in these genuine cardinal sounds!

Cardinal sounds