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Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii
This male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) has been a regular visitor to our bird feeders for some time. Given a choice of mixed seeds, he always goes for the sunflower seeds first. These birds are native to the eastern United States mainland. They were introduced into Hawaii in the late 1920s.
15 comments:
When moving to the island a couple years back, I was surprised at how many bird species had been introduced from the western US. The local birds included the Western Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, California Quail, House Sparrows, House Finches and of course the Turkeys roaming our neighborhood. The doves may be different species, but also fairly familiar to what we had in Arizona.
That's a beautiful bird and you have got him very well
Wow, beautiful shot. It's so pretty the bird doesn't even look real. Amazing.
I hadn't realized you had Cardinals. Aren't they gorgeous?
Thanks everyone. I guess the bright red cardinal is a favorite of most people who know it.
@ Andrew - At least one of our dove species is from Asia. I'm not sure about the other(s). There are quite a few species here that are from Asia, including the Francolins, and the Java Sparrows.
Sadly, most truly native (endemic) Hawaiian birds are extinct or endangered.
Bobbie
What a beautiful photo! Looks like he posed for you. I love your sky shot down below too.
what a beautiful subject for your Ruby Tuesday post! I can see that life on the islands has not caused the cardinal to fade in the least. I used to like listening to them "chip chip chip" in the big pine tree out back of the house on Long Island.
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@ Raven - Thank you. He did pose, sort of. By that I mean that he actually perched on that branch long enough for me to photograph him.
@ Tink - Yes, this guy has the habit of perching on our stone wall in the morning -- conveniently near a bird feeder -- calling out loudly as if to say, "Hey, where's the guy with the sunflower seeds? It's time!"
Bobbie
hai..very nice blog and awesome pic..full of fresh idea..congratulation
Such a majestic bird in deed. I really like the red colour here
Until I had moved to eastern Canada I had never seen a Northern Cardinal. They are beautiful tiny birds with an interesting song, which my lovebirds liked to imitate.
@ Fly - Thank you very much.
@ Roentarre - Thank you. Yes, the color of these birds really catches the eye.
@ Barbara - How interesting that your lovebirds imitate the cardinals' calls! Thanks for sharing that tidbit.
Bobbie
We see those everywhere around here. (The Northern Cardinal is our state bird after all.) Nicely captured!
I enjoy seeing this bird in Washington, DC. I never saw one in New Hampshire, where I grew up.
Hi Mark - I'm surprised to learn that you didn't see cardinals in New Hampshire.
Bobbie
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