2017. https://www.allaboutbirds.org.
The whole upper parts of a deep dusky-red, excepting the head, whichis vermilion.
Inner webs of the quills light brown, their shaftsand those of the tail-feathers blackish-brown.Length 8 1/4 inches, extent of wings 11 1/2; bill along the back 7/12,along the edge 3/4; tarsus (1 1/2)/12.The female has a crest as well as the male, which it resembles in thetexture of its plumage, but the tail is proportionally shorter.
Orn., vol. How pleasing is it, when, by a cloudedsky, the woods are rendered so dark, that were it not for an occasionalglimpse of clearer light falling between the trees, you might imagine nightat hand, while you are yet fir distant from your home–how pleasing tohave your ear suddenly saluted by the well known notes of this favouritebird, assuring you of peace around, and of the full hour that still remainsfor you to pursue your walk in security! Illinois was the first of seven states to select the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) as its State Bird. American Robin (61% frequency) 2. Go whereit may, it is always welcome, and every where a favourite, so rich is itssong, and so brilliant its plumage.The Cardinal-bird breeds in the Floridas.
The under parts are vermilion, whichis brightest anteriorly. It is performed by glidings and jerks of the tail.When the bird is alighted it also frequently juts its tail with grace.Like all birds of the genus it hops, but does not walk.Its song is at first loud and clear, resembling the finest sounds producedby the flageolet, and gradually descends into more marked and continuedcadences, until it dies away in the air around. Feathersof the crown long, pointed, and erectile.Bill of a tint approaching to coral-red. It is known by the names of Red-bird, Virginia Nightingale, Cardinal-bird, and that at the head of the present article. Of them, 88 are classed as accidental, 38 are classed as casual, nine have been introduced to North America, three are extinct, and five have been extirpated. One of America's favorite backyard birds, cardinals are distinctive in appearance and song, known for their "cheer cheer cheer," "whit-chew whit-chew" and "purty purty purty" whistles.Male cardinals are a brilliant scarlet red, females a buffy brown with reddish wings - both have a jet -black mask, pronounced crest, and heavy bill. Biog., vol. How often have I enjoyed thispleasure, and how often, in due humbleness of hope, do I trust that I mayenjoy it again!This species is very abundant in Texas, where, as in our Southern States,it is a constant resident.
It is very abundant in all our Southern States, as well as in the peninsula of the Floridas. v. p. 514.Bill short, very robust, conical, acute, deeper than broad at the base;upper mandible with its dorsal outline a little convex, the sides rounded,the edges sharp and inflected, the tip slightly declinate; lower mandiblebroader than the upper, with its dorsal line straight, the back broad,the sides rounded, the edges inflected; the gap-line deflected at the base.Nostrils basal, roundish, concealed by the feathers. Head large, neck short,body robust. On the least appearance of dancerthey at once glide into the interior of the nearest thickets. The cardinal is the state bird of seven states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. In the western country a great number are found as far up on the Ohio as the city of Cincinnati, and they extend to considerable distances into Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.
p.336;vol.