Holiday images of cardinals on everything from greeting cards to table napkins are so common that the cardinal has been dubbed the “Christmas bird.”
I can’t count the number of holiday greeting cards depicting a bright red cardinal perched in a snow-laden fir tree. It’s a nice Christmas scene for Maine but not for Houston where a cardinal is more likely to be perched in a dew-laden yaupon bush.
Then comes a heartwarming scene of male cardinals perched like a group of carolers in a tree. But none would be caroling right now, no matter their silvery song sounding like cheer-cheer-cheer, pretty-pretty-pretty. That’s a tune for Valentine’s Day when males begin courting females.
But I’m not the Grinch who stole cardinals from Christmas. I still believe in Santa Claus and think crimson-colored male cardinals are the perfect representation of the season. Better than grackles, for sure.
Before the 1800s, cardinals were primarily southern birds. But they gradually expanded their range northward and began breeding in places like New Jersey by the early 1900s. They didn’t reach Maine until the late 1960s.
Because cardinals are year-around residents, their perky presence at birdfeeders on bleak winter days is a godsend to people in snow-bound northern states. And the red plumage of male cardinals on bright winter days in Texas is a boost to our holiday spirits.
But there’s more to the story.
According to Christian tradition, the Christmas season celebrates the birth of Christ, who shed his blood to absolve human sins. A male cardinal’s deep red color at Christmas signifies the blood of Christ.
The bird’s name derives from the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, whose ecclesiastical robes and capes are red.
The bird is obviously oblivious to the symbolism. Its interest lies in crunching down seeds at your birdfeeder. And for a good reason.
The cardinal’s red-pigmented plumage derives from carotenoids in seeds and fruits. The richer its red feathers, the more attractive the bird is as a breeding partner.
Come spring, the female will look for a male with a healthy red coat of feathers, which means he must have a good feeding territory. Such a male gives her assurance of sustenance for her chicks and of a guarantor of good genes.
Therefore, if any bird should stand as a symbol of birth and hope, let it be the male cardinal.
Gary Clark is the author of “Book of Texas Birds,” with photography by Kathy Adams Clark (Texas A&M University Press). Email him at Texasbirder@comcast.net.
Cardinals
Cardinals reside across the Central and Eastern US, parts of southeastern Canada, throughout most of Texas, parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and southwestern California, and Mexico to northern Belize.
Their diet consists primarily of seeds and grains but also includes beetles, snails, and berries.
With a conical, stubby, sharp-pointed beak, a cardinal will hold a seed shell in a groove of the upper mandible and crack it open with sharp edges on the lower mandible.
Females lack the flashy red color of males but do have soft pastel hues of brown and tinctures of red on the crest, wings, and tail.
Both males and females sing during mating season.
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December 17, 2020 at 11:00PM
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Cardinal, the Christmas bird - Houston Chronicle
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