Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal at a feeder in the snow.
Northern Cardinal, Murray KY House, Murray, KY, February 16, 2015
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon 18-135 mm lens;  135mm; ISO-100; f/5.6; 1/250 sec.

This page is for the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). This species is common at most places I visit. The February 16, 2015 photo is my first photographic evidence of this bird and it is also the best photograph I have taken of the Northern Cardinal to date (above). It was take at our house bird feeder in Murray, KY.

The following photographs are the best representative images from different dates and locations than my species representative example.

Northern Cardinal on a broken tree limb.
Northern Cardinal, Goose Island State Park bird blind, Rockport, TX, March 26, 2021
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon 18-135 mm lens;  135 mm; ISO-100; f/6.3; 1/250 sec.
Northern Cardinal on a tree branch and partially obscured by small green leaves.
Northern Cardinal, Falcon State Park, Roma, TX, April 18, 2021
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens;  600 mm; ISO-3200; f/11; 1/1000 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal on a dead piece of wood.
Northern Cardinal, Mineral Wells State Park, Mineral Wells, TX, September 5, 2021
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-3200; f/6.3; 1/200 sec.
Northern Cardinal hopping from one branch to another.
Northern Cardinal, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Cross Timbers Trail footbridge, Fort Worth, TX, November 13, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-2000; f/14; 1/2500 sec.
Northern Cardinal at the very top of a tree.
Northern Cardinal, Vista Heights, Fort Worth, TX, December 25, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-800; f/6.3; 1/3200 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal on a tree branch without leaves.
Northern Cardinal, Cleburne State Park, Cleburne, TX, December 28, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-2000; f/10; 1/640 sec.
Northern Cardinal on a small branch among many small branches and some berries.
Northern Cardinal, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Greer Island trailhead, Fort Worth, TX, December 30, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-1000; f/6.3; 1/2000 sec.
Northern Cardinal on a tree branch with feathers ruffled due to wind.
Northern Cardinal, Fort Worth Nature Preserve River Road, Fort Worth, TX, January 2, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-1600; f/6.3; 1/2500 sec.
Northern Cardinal puffed up, sitting on a branch among other small branches.
Northern Cardinal, Village Creek, Arlington, TX, January 17, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-500; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal on a small vine with green leaves.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, February 13, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 350 mm; ISO-640; f/6.3; 1/320 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal perched on the curved metal frame of a bird feeder holder.
Northern Cardinal, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, February 19, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-1250; f/6.3; 1/800 sec.
Northern Cardinal perched on a branch of a tree.
Northern Cardinal, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Forked Tail Creek, Fort Worth, TX, February 20, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 500 mm; ISO-1250; f/6.3; 1/1250 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal on a tree where a large branch had broken off.
Northern Cardinal, Cedar Hill State Park, Cedar Hill, TX, March 6, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-4000; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec.
Northern Cardinal perched on a tree branch, singing a song.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, March 12, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-800; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec.
Juvenile Northern Cardinal perched on a small branch facing away and looking to its left.
Northern Cardinal juvenile, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, March 27, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 500 mm; ISO-320; f/8; 1/1000 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal on the barren ground with a grain of corn in its beak.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, April 15, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 500 mm; ISO-1600; f/7.1; 1/1000 sec.
Northern Cardinal perched on a poison ivy vine looking at the camera and seemingly asking if I am getting his good side.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 8, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-10,000; f/10; 1/1250 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal perched on the top of a dead tree.
Northern Cardinal, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, June 4, 2022
EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-640; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal perched on a medium-sized tree limb.
Northern Cardinal, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, June 4, 2022
EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-6400; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
Northern Cardinal perched on a plastic tube feeding water to a water feature.
Northern Cardinal, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, June 20, 2021
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-5000; f/10; 1/640 sec.
Young Northern Cardinal on the ground, eating a grasshopper.
Northern Cardinal, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, June 20, 2021
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-12,800; f/10; 1/2500 sec.
Northern Cardinal sitting on a fence with its mouth open.
Northern Cardinal, Vista West, Fort Worth, TX, July 23, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2500; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Northern Cardinal standing on a bridge
Northern Cardinal, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, August 21, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-500; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal on a small branch deep in the woods.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, December 17, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 420 mm; ISO-12,800; f/8; 1/640 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal puffed-up and deep in the bushes.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, December 17, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-6400; f/11; 1/640 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal perched in a tree without any leaves.
Northern Cardinal, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, January 1, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/16; 1/1000 sec.
Northern Cardinal perched on the side mirror of a truck after a vigorous fight with its reflection.
Northern Cardinal, Mustang Park, Benbrook, TX, January 16, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-5000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Northern Cardinal perched at the top of a dead tree branch.
Northern Cardinal, Mustang Park Benbrook, TX, March 10, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-100; f/11; 1/200 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal perched on a metal bird feeder stand.
Northern Cardinal, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, March 26, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 2.0x Teleconverter; 1000 mm; ISO-2500; f/16; 1/200 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal in the middle of a bath.
Northern Cardinal, Warbler Woods Bird Sanctuary, Cibolo, TX May 11, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2500; f/11; 1/500 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal perched on a dead branch. Its head it tilted sideways as she looks at the camera.
Northern Cardinal, Warbler Woods Bird Sanctuary, Cibolo, TX May 11, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-3200; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal standing on the ground with a lot of seed around.
Northern Cardinal, Warbler Woods Bird Sanctuary, Cibolo, TX May 11, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-4000; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal perched on the tip of a dead and broken tree branch.
Northern Cardinal, Crescent Bend Nature Park, Cibolo, TX May 12, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2500; f/10; 1/800 sec. -0.7 exposure bias.
Northern Cardinal perched on a tree branch. The photograph is strongly backlit.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX May 21, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-200; f/10; 1/800 sec. -0.7 exposure bias.
Northern Cardinal perched on a small branch.
Northern Cardinal, Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX, December 26, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal perched on a small branch with some snow around.
Northern Cardinal, Vista West, Fort Worth, TX, January 15, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-4000; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal sitting on a bird feeder with a seed in its mouth.
Northern Cardinal, Vista West, Fort Worth, TX, January 15, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
Northern Cardinal, Oak Point Park, Plano, TX, January 21, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-500; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal perched on the edge of a platform feeder.
Northern Cardinal, King Ranch, Kingsville, TX, February 23, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 700 mm; ISO-1250; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
A male and a female Northern Cardinal flying near each other.
Northern Cardinal, King Ranch, Kingsville, TX, February 23, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 700 mm; ISO-1250; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
Female Northern Cardinal standing on the edge of a bird feeding platform.
Northern Cardinal, Fennessey Ranch, Refugio, TX, February 25, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1250; f/10; 1/1600 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal standing on a piece of lumber that is part of a bird feeder.
Northern Cardinal, Fennessey Ranch, Refugio, TX, February 25, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1000; f/10; 1/1600 sec.
Male Northern Cardinal on a small branch with some food in its beak.
Northern Cardinal, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 4, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-40,000; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Northern Cardinal perched on a small branch.
Northern Cardinal, Crowley, TX, February 2, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-250; f/10; 1/800 sec.