Northern Cardinal (female)

Featured in Canon DSLR, August 8, 2009.
Featured in Songbirds of North America, August 8, 2009.

Featured in the Woman Photographer August 6, 2009

Female Northern Cardinal image taken on my property, in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada on August 5, 2009.

Male mate to this lovely female.

Canon EOS Rebel XTi with 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens @ 320mm. SS 1/125, f/5.6, EC -1/3, ISO 400 (How it turned out with this shutter speed, through a window, AND hand held is beyond me!...lol) Tonal adjustments completed in Digital Photo Professional & PShop.

Northern Cardinal info. courtesy of Wikipedia.

The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 20-23 centimeters long and a wingspan of 25–31 centimeters. It weighs about 45 grams. The male is slightly larger than the female. The male is a brilliant crimson red with a black face mask over the eyes, extending to the upper chest. The color is dullest on the back and wings.

The female is fawn, with mostly grayish-brown tones and a reddish tint on the wings, the crest, and the tail feathers. The face mask of the female is gray to black and is less defined than that of the male. Both sexes possess prominent raised crests and bright coral-colored beaks.

Mated pairs sometimes sing together before nesting. During courtship they may also participate in a bonding behavior where the male collects food and brings it to the female, feeding her beak-to-beak. If the mating is successful, this mate-feeding may continue throughout the period of incubation.

The oldest wild Cardinal banded by researchers lived at least 15 years and 9 months.

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