Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Photo of this female Northern Cardinal was taken at the Grindstone Creek near Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington.

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), also known as the Cardinal or as the Redbird or as the Virginia nightingale, is a North American bird in the Cardinal family. It is found from southern Canada through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico to northern Guatemala and Belize. It is found in woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps.

The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21-23 cm (8.3 to 9 inches). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female.