Not all cardinals are bright red
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Not all cardinals are bright red: the females aren’t. This picture of a Cardinalis cardinalis on a tree branch is from April 16th in Purgatory Creek Park in San Marcos, about 30 miles southwest of Austin.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Probably a female cardinal.
Victor Rakmil
May 9, 2013 at 6:39 AM
Correct.
Steve Schwartzman
May 9, 2013 at 6:55 AM
I did not know that :). You are always teaching me new things!
photosfromtheloonybin
May 9, 2013 at 7:02 AM
That’s because I’m always learning new things: there’s so much to know!
Steve Schwartzman
May 9, 2013 at 7:18 AM
Cardinals are among my favorite birds – how nice that you’ve shown the harder-to-spot female. I especially like that the branch isn’t just gray, but is touched with a bit of her color.
A rarity that I’d love to see is the yellow cardinal, a genetic mututation that I don’t believe was spotted (or at least recorded) until sometime in the 1990s. It’s been reported from Ontario to Ohio and North Carolina, but I haven’t found any sightings in Texas. Maybe you’ll be first!
shoreacres
May 9, 2013 at 7:28 AM
I don’t know much about birds, so for me it’s usually photograph first and try to identify later. In this case, though, I had a hunch that I might have seen a female cardinal, and sources seemed to confirm it. I’d be happy to feature a xanthochroic cardinal as good company for unusually colored and fasciated flowers (both of which will be putting in appearances here in the weeks ahead).
Steve Schwartzman
May 9, 2013 at 7:44 AM
If you see a male, there is usually a female close by. We have several families at our weekend place. Great birds to watch. Plus, if you sound a call, I found they react more that other birds. Happy watching~
Margie Jaquette
May 9, 2013 at 9:58 AM
At times I’ve seen and heard a male cardinal outside our house, but I’ve never managed to get a picture of him. Maybe one of these days. I have a lot better luck with flowers, which don’t fly away.
Steve Schwartzman
May 9, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Juveniles are also dull colored regardless of sex.
Margie Jaquette
May 9, 2013 at 9:59 AM
Ah, now that’s a useful piece of information. Thanks for letting us know. Is there an easy way to tell whether a juvenile is a male or a female?
Steve Schwartzman
May 9, 2013 at 10:11 AM
Great question! I’m a bit of an amateur birder and while I know it’s true that juveniles tend to look the same as females (I’m thinking of many different australian species) I’ve never studied whether there was a way to tell gender in a juvie. I know for budgies there is but I’m stumped for another example.
Lisa Vankula-Donovan
May 23, 2013 at 8:03 AM
I know so little about birds that I was happy just to figure out that this was a cardinal. From what you say, telling the sex of a juvenile is often a problem—at least for people. The birds don’t seem to have any trouble with it.
Steve Schwartzman
May 23, 2013 at 8:14 AM
We have both cardinals and waxwings that hang around our patio feeder and backyard, and I’m still nonplussed when it comes to telling the difference between the lady cardinals and the waxwings, since I can’t get close to these skittish friends. So I just have to enjoy them in my own ignorant way and be glad they’ll come to visit–whoever they are!
kathryningrid
May 9, 2013 at 2:05 PM
I suspect you know more about birds than I do. A telephoto lens lets me see some details I couldn’t resolve with my eyes alone,. and I imagine binoculars could do the same for you—or perhaps even with them the differences are still too subtle to distinguish. But what’s in a name, right?
Steve Schwartzman
May 9, 2013 at 2:49 PM
I LOVE these birds. If you are lucky you will see them together and the male often offers the female food. Wonderful to watch this occur !
norasphotos4u
May 9, 2013 at 3:56 PM
I’ve never seen that, but I’ve been known to offer my wife food. Does that count?
Steve Schwartzman
May 9, 2013 at 6:48 PM
Sure why not?
norasphotos4u
May 9, 2013 at 8:25 PM
I like this shot a lot. Very different. I also like your comment about offering food to your wife. Very funny.
petspeopleandlife
May 9, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Thanks for appreciating the photograph and my bit of humor, Yvonne.
Steve Schwartzman
May 10, 2013 at 7:09 AM
I have learned so much this spring about birds; I really appreciate your pictures and information. Thank you.
Charlie@Seattle Trekker
May 10, 2013 at 1:55 AM
You’re welcome, Charlie. I keep learning things, too.
Steve Schwartzman
May 10, 2013 at 7:11 AM
I love the subtlety of the female’s coloring.
Susan Scheid
May 14, 2013 at 8:48 PM
It’s interesting how birds are usually the reverse of people.
Steve Schwartzman
May 14, 2013 at 9:58 PM
[…] As is often the case with birds, the male is much more colorful than the female, as you can confirm in a photograph from 2013. […]
Male cardinal | Portraits of Wildflowers
February 24, 2015 at 5:27 AM
Love gentle colours.
Gallivanta
February 24, 2015 at 7:03 AM
Let’s try that again…..lovely gentle colours.
Gallivanta
February 24, 2015 at 7:04 AM
You’re entitled to love lovely gentle colors.
Steve Schwartzman
February 24, 2015 at 12:12 PM