Female Cardinal Perched On Branch In Sunshine With Head Tilt - Cardinalis Cardinalis Stock Image

The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a bird in the genus Cardinalis. The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The female does most of the nest building. The nest typically takes three to nine days to build. The female builds a cup nest in a well-concealed spot in dense shrub or a low tree off the ground. The nest is made of thin twigs, bark strips, and grasses, lined with grasses or other plant fibers. Eggs are laid one to six days following the completion of the nest. The eggs are white, with a tint of green, blue or brown, and are marked with lavender, gray, or brown blotches which are thicker around the larger end. The shell is smooth and slightly glossy. Three or four eggs are laid in each clutch. The female generally incubates the eggs, though, rarely, the male will incubate for brief periods of time. Incubation takes 12 to 13 days.