Definitely a female cardinal ๐
this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
52 points (100.0% liked)
birding
3497 readers
6 users here now
A community for people who like birds, birdwatching and birding in general!
Feel free to share your photos and other birding-related content here. If a photo you post isn't yours, please credit the original creator! Additionally, it would be appreciated if the location of the sighting and a date were given when a photo or question is posted. You do not have to give the precise location, something like "Northern Idaho, June 2023" or even "North-Western US, June 2023" suffices.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Thanks, I have trouble telling sometimes!
Maybe! Not an expert, but from what I see on the Merlin app it looks like non-breeding males also have that lighter pink coloration!
@Alterecho Non-breeding males... There's a third gender for cardinals?
I can see why that's confusing haha. No, non-breeding just means that the plumage is not the "mating" plumage for the bird. Birds molt roughly twice a year on average, and sometimes due to being a juvenile or other factors, they just don't molt into their bright plumage for attracting mates. Usually this looks similar to the plumage of the bird during the winter, or like female plumage of the same species.
Ah. Okay.
Looks like the female cardinal that's outside my window every few days!
Most certainly so.