Adult: RED! The male Cardinal is all-red with a crest, a conical pinky-orange bill, and a black facial mask. His mate is also crested. Her bill and facial mask are similar to that of the male but her plumage is soft earthy brown, with hints of a reddish wash. It’s hard to decide which is more handsome.

The Immature Cardinal is similar to the female, but its bill is dark.

Habitat: Woodland edges, urban and suburban environments. Gardens, pine scrub or flatwoods, mesic hammocks, sandhills and agricultural environments. Cardinals are seed and fruit eaters but also eat insects and feed them to their young.

The Cardinal is a non-migratory inhabitant of Florida, where it breeds from March through August.

Text by Mary Jean Rogers, West Volusia Audubon