By Abby West

Northern cardinals are a gateway bird, introducing many of us to the nerdy and fascinating world that is bird watching. That bright red flash has caught many an eye and led us into the realization that this world, as it turns out, is full of all kinds of interesting birds.

Cardinals are unique in that, during winter, they do little to protect themselves: they neither migrate nor molt into a duller plumage for increased camouflage during these leafless months like many other birds do. This means in winter time, they’re taking immense risks in drawing such attention from predators: a bright red target contrasted against a backdrop of gray and brown.

Apparently, being fire engine red is pretty important for males. As you may have guessed, it signals to females that the redder he is, the better offspring he’s likely to produce. To develop red feathers, he needs to eat seeds or fruit containing pigment molecules called yellow carotenoids.  For cardinals here in Central Texas, sunflower seeds are a major source of carotenoids, which might explain why cardinals are frequent bird feeder visitors. (Fascinating pitstop: his body transforms yellow carotenoids into red plumage somehow, which I tried for about 60 seconds to understand before I decided such biological alchemy was above my paygrade, but you’re welcome to take a stab at it. All I know is that I personally find it incredible that this same molecule turns flower petals yellow and his feathers red.)

These molecules, surprisingly, do a lot. They not only give orangey-yellow fruits, flowers and vegetables their color, they are essential in human diets as well, bestowing us with all kinds of gifts: increased immunity and improved eyesight, as well as protecting our skin from UV damage. But for cardinals, do redder feathers really indicate they are healthier birds? Turns out, yes. According to The Audubon Society, “research indicates that carotenoids are concentrated in the mitochondria. And bright coloring is linked to mitochondrial performance. In general, birds with the brightest color also tend to have better immunity, winter survival, foraging ability, and skill at avoiding predators.”

I first was turned onto the cardinals’ perilous lifestyle several years ago when my family and I began reading a beautiful Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss. She expresses beautifully what I admire most about this particular bird:

“When nearly all the world tamps down its color, this male cardinal flares– an extravagant gesture considering the hawk, whose dark eye snaps to him faster than mine. His brilliance shouts his unshakeable expectation of spring.”

Lead Photo by Susan Pike

Sources
For Male Cardinals, The Redder the Better, Audubon Society
Eat Right With Color: Orange and Yellow for Carotenoids, Smart Eater
How Did the Cardinal Get His Red Feathers
All Creation Waits by Gayle Boss