Northern Cardinal

This showy bird is a year-round resident. The conspicuous males are often seen as flashes of red contrasted against the lush vegetation. The females by contrast are brown with red highlights. Both sexes sport a crest and red bill. The cardinal’s song may be one of the first that you hear in the morning and may continue throughout the day. Breeding males are very territorial, and often continue to sing as they fly to and fro between the shore and the lake’s islands. Listen out for high pitched “tik” calls in the undergrowth, you will be surprised just how many cardinals live in the park. The Northern cardinal wins the national bird popularity contest, being the State bird of seven States.