Size:
Length: 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm
Wingspan: 9.8-12.2 in (25-31 cm)
Male cardinals are brilliant red with a reddish bill and black face around the bill. Females are pale brown overall with warm reddish tinges in the wings, tail, and crest; they have the same black face and red-orange bill. They will visit your feeders if you fill them with sunflower seeds. The female Cardinal is often confused with the Pyrrhuloxia. If the bill is large, thickly pointed and red or red-orange, it’s a Cardinal. If there is any black on the face, around the bill and into the eye, it’s a Cardinal. If the bill is small, rounded, parrot-like and yellow, it’s a Pyrrhuloxia. If the face is red around the bill and into the eye, and if gray is a predominate color, it’s likely to be a Pyrrhuloxia.