Northern Cardinal And Happy Holidays!

To celebrate the Holiday Season, we are re-featuring another "monthly" bird you might not have seen in person, but you probably heard of: the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).
The Northern Cardinal lives primarily east of the Rockies, with a small population in Arizona (hint-hint: The Arizona Cardinals football team’s namesake). From their easily recognizable colors, they have become a famous bird. They are the State bird of seven US states; more than any other American species. BirdNote devoted the episode below all about our favorite red bird:

Meet the Northern Cardinal

A male Northern Cardinal against a snowy landscape(like the photo above) is commonly seen gracing many a holiday greeting card. But did you know Northern Cardinals were originally only found in the warmer Southern States, like Florida and Louisana? They settled in Northern States and Canadian Provinces in the past century.  This BirdNote episode covers this full story of why the Northern Cardinal moved north.

Why the Cardinal moved north

Besides the cards you have sent or received this holiday, have you ever seen a Northern Cardinal back east? Let us know in the comments. From all of us at Lahontan Audubon Society: Happy Holidays!