July 2023 - 21

real-time birding app closely, visited Goshen
County earlier in the winter to see the cardinals.
Afterward, he thought it would be a
great outing for the local Audubon chapter.
Northern cardinals are regular visitors
at feeders throughout their range, which
extends from southeastern Canada south
through the eastern and central United
States. The species also is found in southern
Arizona and New Mexico, as well as in
most of Mexico and in northern Belize and
Guatemala. It is an introduced species in
Hawaii and southern California.
The northern cardinal is known commonly
as the redbird or red cardinal in some locations,
and you don't have to be an experienced
bird watcher to recognize one. Females are
brownish in color, with a sharp crest on the
top of the head, warm-red accents, black face
and reddish bill. The male sports the same
crest, reddish bill and black face as the female,
but it is a brilliant red that makes people
take notice.
" They are a unique color. We don't have
many bright-red birds like a cardinal in Wyoming, "
said Jane Dorn, longtime resident
of Lingle and a lifetime birdwatcher. " The
crossbills and male house finches are close,
but they're not like the cardinals. " Dorn
and her husband, Robert, are well-respected
birders and co-authors of the book, " Wyoming
Birds. "
Even if you've never seen a cardinal, you've
likely seen Christmas cards adorned with the
striking red male against the glistening white
snow. Dyer recalled such a day earlier this
winter. " We had a heavy snow and there were
three or four cardinals sitting in a tree near the
feeder. It looked like a decorated Christmas
tree, " he said.
The cardinal is cherished for its bright colors,
and its role in mythology and literature.
It also is the subject of many folktales and
spiritual beliefs. Some people believe seeing
a cardinal can be a sign of good luck or a
spiritual message from a deceased loved one.
You might even have heard someone say, " Cardinals
appear when angels are near. "
Dyer, though, doesn't adhere to any of these
beliefs. " I just like their bright color and like
to hear them sing, " he said. " When I moved
to Wyoming from the Midwest 40 years ago,
the only thing I missed was the cardinals. "
The species is so beloved that it's the state
bird of seven states - Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,
North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and
West Virginia. So you can imagine Dyer's
The northern cardinal is also known as the redbird or red cardinal. Females, like the one on the left, are brownish in
color. (Adobe Stock Photo)
delight at spotting a northern cardinal in
his yard, about two miles south of Lingle,
in 2019.
" The first one I saw was a female, so it took
me a while to know what I was looking at.
At first I thought it was a cedar waxwing, " he
said. Once he realized it was a cardinal, he
called the Dorns. " Jane said it wasn't possible;
she didn't believe me at first, " he said. Later
on he saw a bright red male, and there was no
doubt cardinals were on his property. Their
presence in eastern Wyoming is a treat for
bird watchers because there is little suitable
habitat for the species in the state.
" We're in the fringe area for this species, "
Dorn said. " The habitat along Power Plant
Road contains a lot of chokecherries, wild
plum, introduced berries, thicker brush and
other natural food sources ideal for cardinals.
There are also a lot of people who feed birds,
so this is a pretty good place for a cardinal
population. The best habitat in Wyoming for
cardinals is right here in this area. "
Wyoming Wildlife | 21
Scan this QR code to hear the
song of the northern cardinal
on allaboutbirds.org.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal

July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2023