common_nature | Northern Cardinal parents and baby (Reply)

We have a pair of Northern Cardinals nesting in our yard, and today I saw dad with a fledgling!

crested red songbird and small tan fledgling sit on the ground eating seeds

crested red songbird and small tan fledgling sit on the ground eating seeds

The fledgling was begging for food by fluttering its wings, a common signal in many baby birds. Dad was attentively finding seeds and stuffing them in Junior's mouth. The baby already has a little bit of a crest and some red on the wings, but it's too early to tell the sex. Mom wasn't with them but I saw her on the feeder later in the day.

yellowish brown songbird with red highlights sits on a seed feeder perch

yellowish brown songbird with red highlights sits on a seed feeder perch

The female Northern Cardinal doesn't have the solid red plumage the species is named for. She's mostly yellowish-brown with some red on the crest, wings, and tail. She also has a bright orange bill, distinguishing her from immature birds nearing adulthood that have similar plumage to adult females but gray bills like the fledgling above.