Male
Female
Description
Size: 8.75”
Plumage/Description: Males are bright red overall with a black mask around the base of the beak. Pronounced crest and red bill is distinctive. Females are brown, with red in the wings, tail, and crest. Females have a small amount of black at the base of the red bill.
Habitat: Residential, Oak/Chaparral, Pinyon/Juniper, Riparian/Deciduous
Time of year: Year-round
Relative Abundance: Fairly common in proper habitat
Behavior: Cardinals tend to prefer areas with thickets and brambles. Uncommon in Prescott, much more common at the lower elevations, all the way down to the Sonoran Desert. Frequents seed feeders where they prefer Black-oil Sunflower seeds.
Diet: Seeds, Insects
Similar species: Pyrrhuloxia
Best Sites: In Prescott along Willow Creek Road, near Jack Drive and Sequoia. Outside of Prescott they are found at the lower elevations—Skull Valley, Kirkland, Dewey/Humboldt, Mayer, Spring Valley.
