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Cardinalis Cardinalis - Blog Posts
Cardinalis cardinalis - Northern Cardinal
I love cardinal’s scientific names.
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), juvenile, taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
A disheveled young cardinal stopping for a few sips! Someone had been in the bath prior and made it absolutely filthy with dirt, but this guy didn't really seem to mind. The bath water is replaced daily, but it tends to get dirty pretty fast if there are lots of baths in a day. The birds could just go to the koi pond literally 5 feet away, but I guess it's too scary for everyone but the song sparrows!
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
Looking quite sharp in more than one way! This guy must have just finished his spring molt—those feathers are spotless! I'm still seeing some bald and semi-bald cardinals running around, so the molt is still underway, but they, too, shall be fresh and beautiful like this guy afterwards!
Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), males, taken April 30, 2024, in Georgia, US
These cardinals dressed appropriately for the scenery! The japanese maple is exactly the same color as them, which comes out looking very cool in shots like these. Soon, the maple will be filled back out, and I'll have a nice red background to take pictures on again!
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, taken February 25, 2025, in Georgia, US
Bald!!!!! The spring molt has taken him... Every spring all of the cardinals become bald, and it is both pathetic and wonderful. This guy has started a bit early, so he's the odd man out of the bunch until they all follow!
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male (top) and Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) (bottom), taken June 27, 2024, in Georgia, US
Whenever I look at these photos, I always like to put them next to each other to compare. In terms of woodland birds, these two could be considered opposites of one another, being arguably the most famous blue and red birds of North America, at least in the east!
Seeing as these were taken in about the same pose, at the same distance, it's also a good comparison of anatomy and size. I don't think it really hits home how much bigger jays are than cardinals until you see it yourself in person. There was a long period of my childhood that I considered the two equals, and learning that the jay was much larger was a big surprise later on!
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, taken February 11, 2025, in Georgia, US
Cardinals have been pretty shy at the feeders as of late. They all show up and just sit in the trees, too nervous to come down. Even a red-winged blackbird came down before them, and they've been horribly difficult for me to photograph! This guy came down to pose for me, though! He seems to be starting his spring molt, poor guy lol.
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), female, taken January 23, 2025, in Georgia, US
One of the only cardinals brave enough to come down to the feeders while I was out today! The red-winged blackbirds are coming through right now, so I sat for an hour in the cold weather only for them to keep just enough distance to make okay-ish—but not good—pictures!! All of the male cardinals were skittish today because of the wind, but this pretty lady posed nicely!
Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), males (1-3) and female (4), taken January 10, 2024, in Georgia, US
Male cardinals stand out so much in the white and gray of the snow! However bright they may be, the female of this batch is definitely my favorite. Her almost imposing image framed by branches is just perfect to me.