|
|
|
|
3/25/08
"Snow Cardinals"
|
The white winter blast chilled me to the bone, even though I was
in the house, warm and toasty having my morning coffee. |
 |
|
The
Cardinals are always a welcome sight with their sweet songs and
bright colors. I know the cold will soon submit to the warmth of
spring.
|
 |
 |
|
This
is one of my favorite shots...
I love the star shaped snowflake on his cheek! |
 |
|
Pictured
above is a cute little female Cardinal,
peeping through the tree limbs at me. |
 |
| The plumage color of the males is produced from carotenoid pigments in the diet. Coloration is produced from both red pigments and yellow carotenoid pigments. Northern Cardinal males possess the ability to metabolize carotenoid pigments to create plumage pigmentation of a different color than the ingested pigment. When fed only yellow pigments, males become a pale red color, rather than a yellow. |
 |
| Soon,
spring will arrive with all its brilliant colors. New beginnings and
happy songs will abound. Things here at TAW are always evolving; you
never know what will happen next. I wish you the best this spring,
and I hope things grow and bloom in your life. Don't forget to check out my new watercolor painting of the "Cardinal in the Pines", he is a handsome young man. I am currently working on a cute little Chickadee. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for new watercolor paintings, I always love to hear from you! Your friend in nature, Patty Peeples |
Two Acre Wood
c/o Patty Peeples
P.O.Box 353 Kingston Springs, TN. 37082
| Please let me know if you want to be included in my once weekly E-mail notification of TAW. Include my address in your address book, to insure delivery. Thanks, Patty |
| Do you have your TAW DVD yet? |
The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), also known as the Redbird and 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. It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. A clutch of three to four eggs is laid, and two to four clutches are produced each year. It was once prized as a pet, but its sale as cage birds is now banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. ……….The common name, as well as the scientific name, of the Northern Cardinal refers to the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, who wear distinctive red robes and caps. The term "Northern" in the common name refers to its range, as it is the only cardinal found in the Northern Hemisphere.  Cardinals have increased over the last 200 years, largely as a response to habitat changes made by people. However, it is listed as a species of special concern in California and may disappear there because of habitat loss. " The female Northern Cardinal sings, often from the nest. The song may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest. A mated pair shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and slightly more complex song than the male. " The male cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces, it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder. " Brighter red males hold territories with denser vegetation, feed at higher rates, and have greater reproductive success than duller males. Information from Cornell and Wikipedia |
| Home | Contact |