Female Northern Cardinal Close-Up With Red Crest

A close portrait of a female Northern Cardinal, shown in profile with her head turned to the left. Her tall, pointed crest is tipped in red, and the rest of her plumage is a soft buff-olive that deepens to warm tan on the chest. The thick, cone-shaped bill is bright orange-red and slightly open. A dark eye with a pale ring looks out from a grey-toned face, and a thin red line runs above it. Behind her, a blurred wash of green and dusty pink keeps attention on the bird and gives the frame a soft, muted mood.

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a songbird of North and Central America. Unlike the all-red male, the female is mostly brown with red accents on the crest, wings and tail. Females also sing, which is unusual among songbirds. The heavy bill is built for cracking seeds. This one was photographed by Bill Levine at Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, on 31 December 2021. The square format and centered subject suit phone screens, tablets and square desktop crops, and the plain background leaves room for icons.

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