Northern Cardinal – Salineno, TX

We saw a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) sitting in a thorny Lotebush in Saleneno Wildlife Preserve. The bright red male stood out against the green leaves, making a great background for this photo. A raised crest and black face mask give birders an easy identifier for this bird. Northern Cardinals live year-round in North America and are often found in thick brush, backyards, and woodland edges. The soft chips of this big colorful bird sometimes are hard to connect with out seeing them. A cool fact is that their red color comes from pigments in the food they eat, so their color can reflect how healthy their habitat is. We also noticed its strong bill, which gives you a hint as to what its diet contains. Birds like this are common but sought out for photos and can be on your list of birds in South Texas.