Cardinals: Family Cardinalidae

Members of this family are small to medium finch-like birds. These birds are a member of the 9-primaried oscine group of birds, including American Sparrows and Buntings, True finches, Tanagers, Icterids and the New World Warblers. As is the case with most of these families, cardinals are primarily seed-eaters, spending much of their time on the ground, and are mainly found in North and South America (New World). They generally have large thick beaks and are red or blue in color.

The Scarlet Babbler

Cardinals get their name for their color, the vestment color worn by the clergy members of the same name. Cardinals tend to have crested heads, with what looks like a mohawk hairstyle. The birds, not the clergy members. The bright colors and crazy plumage is another great example of sexual selection in females. Females of the family tend to be a duller, paler red, but select males that are brilliantly colored. Sexual selection is a common evolutionary process that adds a great beauty to the natural world. In many bird families, females will only select based on color or dance moves or the male's song, but not with the cardinals. Cardinal females select their mates based on both song and beauty, thus adding brilliant colors and melodious music to the diversity of life. These birds are the Norah Jones of the bird world!