Red Cardinal Perched on a Mesquite Branch

A male cardinal perches side-on against a soft, blurred background of dark green and muted brown. His plumage is a saturated red, slightly deeper across the wings and long tail, with a pointed crest raised on his head. The thick orange-red bill stands out against a small black mask around the eye and throat. He grips a thin, gnarled branch, and delicate feathery leaves hang in the upper left corner. The light is soft and warm, which keeps the colours rich without harsh contrast, and the mood is calm and attentive.

The San Lucas cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis igneus, is a subspecies of the northern cardinal found in the southern Baja California peninsula, where this one was observed near La Paz. Cardinals feed mainly on seeds, fruit and insects, and they favour shrubby, semi-open habitat with dense cover nearby. Males are brightly coloured, while females are warmer buff and brown with red accents. The dark negative space on the right and the strong diagonal of the tail work well on a widescreen desktop monitor, and the icons on the left can sit over the blurred foliage.