Cardinal Northern basic information

The Northern Cardinal is a medium-sized bird, measuring approximately 22 centimeters, eight and a half inches, in length from beak-tip to tail-tip. Males are usually a bright red with a black mask on the face. Females tend to be a glossy brown or olive color that is tinged red on the tail, wings, and crest. The female lacks the black mask donned by the male, but parts of the face may be dark. Both sexes have distinctive crest atop their head and a thick, pointed bill, which begins black as a fledgling and then turns a reddish color with age.