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.