Family: Thraupidae, Tanagers view all from this family

Description 7-8" (18-20 cm). Male solid rose-red with pale bill. Female pale olive green above, dull yellow below. Male Northern Cardinal has black face, conical red bill, and crest. See Hepatic Tanager.

Habitat Open woodlands and shade trees.

Nesting 3 or 4 blue-green eggs, spotted with brown, in a shallow, flimsy cup near the end of a horizontal branch, 10-20' (3-6 m) above the ground.

Range Breeds from southern California, Nevada, Nebraska, and New Jersey, south to Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. Winters in tropics.

Voice   Song like an American Robin's, but softer and sweeter. Distinctive rattling chick-tucky-tuck.

Discussion This tanager specializes in dry oak and mixed forests of the southern states. Despite their bright colors, the males are difficult to detect in the dense foliage. On their breeding grounds the birds are most easily located by their calls, which they utter persistently throughout the day. A major part of the diet during the summer consists of flying insects captured in the air.