are all cardinals red?

[newholiday]

Cos DS & I saw a bird at our birdfeeder yesterday that looked like a body of a cardinal w/red beak of a cardinal but with the coloring of a chickadee
was it a crossbreed? or are some cardinals not red?

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

male cardinals are red, females are brown. I don't know what you saw, but I don't think it was a cardinal.

 

[HauntedMansionGeek]

As with all critters in nature, I believe the male and female have different coloring.

 

[Cruisin]

female cardinals are not bright red like the males, they have a duller colour to them.

Maybe that is what you saw. Was there a red cardinal around at the same time? Usually when you see one the other is not too far away.

 

[DVCindy]

Maybe it was a female cardinal. Only the male cardinals are the bright scarlet red color ... the females have the same look to their body and beak, but are a beige/ brownish color.


Cindy

 

[newholiday]

Now I believe it WAS a female cardinal. DS remembers we saw it within 10mins of the red cardinal. Even had the sound of the red cardinal.
I can be sitting on the couch reading (or on the DIS) and when I hear them singing I know to look out the window. Pretty, arent they?

 

[Dodie]

 

[two4ruff]

Thanks for the memories, guys!

We don't get cardinals in this neck of the woods, but I remember bird watching for them with my Grandpa in southern Illinois as a kid - great memory.

Sorry, I strayed from topic, carry on!

Thanks,
jill

 

[newholiday]

the 1 in the pic is definately too light in color
the 1 we saw a few times now is definately grayer

 

[phillybeth]

The ones I have seen are sort of a mustardy color but the the body and crest of a male cardinal. The greyer one might be a juvenile or she could be molting.

 

[Yardbird]

What you may have seen is a tufted titmouse. They look very much like a cardinal except they are a little smaller, and gray.
I'm not sure if I posted the link correctly, but I'll give it a shot!

http://birds.cornell.edu/BOW/TUTI/

 

[Simba's Mom]

After Disney, birding is my second favorite hobby. The tufted titmouse is a smaller bird than a Cardinal. There's also a bird called a Pyrhuloxia, but it would be extremely rare for you to see one in the Northeast. Most noticeable difference would be that the bill of a pyrrhuloxia is light yellow instead of the bright salmon/orange of the female cardinal.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I LOVE cardinals! (And that's in spite of my bird phobia, too.)

Lots of these beautiful creatures live around my house. It's due to the many tall trees (old oaks and elms) in my neighborhood.

I have seen female cardinals in varying shades. They usually fly with their mates, who are always bright red. I've seen the ladies looking orangy, golden, brownish and/or grayish. Like someone else pointed out, the variations may be due to their age or stage of moulting.

 

[Rajah]

I've also seen young cardinals that haven't fully gotten their color yet.