Orange Cardinal??? Ohio (1 Viewer)

J

jdash

Member

• Aug 27, 2007

• #1

I took this photo this evening. No retouching, only crop and sharpening. I have never seen a cardinal like this. I am assuming this is a cardinal.

Jeff

 

Attachments

• 
  orange.jpg

  390 KB · Views: 239

Storm-Petrel

registered dude

• Aug 27, 2007

• #2

Yes, its a cardinal. The head feathers are just worn. I dont see anything unusual with the plumage.

 

Robert / Seattle

Well-known member

• Aug 27, 2007

• #3

A Northern Cardinal indeed. The orange is an occassional color "phase" in certain individuals, through wear or genetics, within the species.

 

J

jdash

Member

• Aug 27, 2007

• #4

Thank you for your help.

Jeff

 

B

buckskin hawk

Oklahoma Birder

• Aug 27, 2007

• #5

Could diet have affected his color? I have a lot of Cardinals around and have never seen an orange one. How rare is it?

 

Gentoo

Guest

• Aug 27, 2007

• #6

It's rare in the wild for them to be orange but it does happen. They are often kept as cage or aviary birds too and they often lose their color if they're not fed right. Could be an escape?

 

Rick Wright Tucson

Well-known member

• Aug 27, 2007

• #7

An interesting new article on reds, oranges, and yellows in birds:
http://americanbirding.org/pubs/birding/archives/vol39no5p62to68.pdf

 

B

buckskin hawk

Oklahoma Birder

• Aug 28, 2007

• #8

Thanks for the great article.

 

djleahy

Well-known member

• Aug 29, 2007

• #9

Rick Wright said:

An interesting new article on reds, oranges, and yellows in birds:
http://americanbirding.org/pubs/birding/archives/vol39no5p62to68.pdf

Click to expand...

Very cool article, Rick. I was kinda stunned to see a totally yellow house finch for the first time a few months back, I guess that guy must have been carotenoid deprived. All of his friends were quite red, so he must have been a fussy eater.