Northern Cardinal

While the (male) Cardinal is the only North American bird whose entire body is red, excluding his mask, the cardinal's image perhaps suffers from over exposure. Many is the frustrated birder who sees a flash of red and pursues to only re-confront his red comrade. That the cardinal has a half dozen different calls and has a range over the entire continental United States doesn't help his subtlety either. In my opinion, the female is prettier, with her brown and red intermingling making for a more interesting appearance. They're both beautiful birds though, and it's a treat to see them in Arizona.

This handsome fellow was singing in the late evening light. That orange glow caught his red plumage nicely while his crest swayed with the breeze.