Omar's Birding

#196 March 21, 2006 White-Throated Treecreeper - Cormobates leucophaeus (Dartmoor, Vic)

2007-04-26T19:43:00.001-04:00

#148 March 13, 2006 Eastern Yellow Robin - Eopsaltria australis (Phillip Island, Vic)

2007-03-05T18:38:00.000-05:00

#14 May 11, 2005 Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos (Stateline Lookout, NJ)

2007-03-03T18:17:00.000-05:00

#58 August 17, 2006 Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis (North Bergen, NJ)

2007-03-03T18:04:00.000-05:00

Gulls are my favorite birds, most are accesible and numerous. They also teach good birding, having many plumages, 4-year gulls like the Great black-backed Gull having the most. Their behavior entices note taking and spurs memory. I have seen 8 spp so far, I hope to see them all one day.

#71 October 23, 2005 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Dendroica coronata (Stateline Lookout, NJ)

2007-03-03T18:03:00.000-05:00

Peoplewatcher birds are common, this one was checking us out while we searched for a Capy May Warbler by the Pinetum. It was craining it's little neck, I am sure to get all the field marks for Ben.

YRW are hardy passerines, I have seen them in all weather and all seasons around the NYC-Metro are.

#110 January 28, 2006 Long-tailed Duck - Clangula hyemalis (Barnegat Light, NJ)

2007-03-03T18:01:00.000-05:00

Ducks, I love 'em. The way water beads and trails off the feathers, their voice and colors.

I saw LTDs at SH, a cold January which clocked in a few duck spp at the Hook. The plumage is almost like a photo negative than that of breeding specimen, the tail is indeed long, at times curving from duck to air to water, like a dark living rainbow.

#46 June 25, 2005 Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus (Everglades, FL)

2007-03-03T17:59:00.000-05:00

#288 January 13, 2007 Snowy Owl - Bubo scandiacus aka. The White Ghost (Piermont, NY)

2007-01-13T12:44:00.000-05:00

I saw it, Snowy Owl (first lifer of 2007), it was perched in it's wet regalia, white, like alabaster that has gotten a bit dirty wasted wooden parapets and beaten towers, its infinite realm cloaked in fog and mist.

The picture was left blurry on purpose.

The only birder there, my brother and about a quarter of a mile west 3 fishermen.

Binocs views, they were good, the scope was left in the car it's half useless and the weather would have made it more so. The white ghost was facing south, it turned it's head a few times, nice eyes.

The pictures, dissapointing, raing fog, light, bad photographer, maybe one maybe all.

I am happy though, spent 4 minutes in relative peace with a Snowy owl.

The water had a few Canadas and Mallards, the phragmites on the way back House sparrow and Mourning Dove, above barking as best it could, Ring-billed gulls whirled over the chorus of Red-winged blackbirds and European Starlings.

#163 March 15, 2006 Eastern Spinebill - Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris (Wildood Flowers, Vic)

2006-10-10T20:35:00.001-04:00

#144 March 13, 2006 Litle Penguin - Eudyptula minor (Phillip Island, Vic)

2006-10-10T20:33:00.001-04:00

#147 March 13, 2006 Australian White Ibis - Threskiornis molucca (Phillip Island, Vic)

2006-10-10T20:32:00.002-04:00

#162 March 15, 2006 Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans (Wildwood Flowers, Vic)

2006-10-10T20:32:00.001-04:00

#182 March 17, 2006 Straw-necked Ibis - Threskiornis spinicollis (Lakes Entrance, Vic)

2006-10-10T20:31:00.002-04:00

#155 March 14, 2006 Emu - Dromaius novaehollandiae (Driving East to Lake's Entrance from Phillips Island, Vic)

2006-10-10T20:31:00.001-04:00

#198 March 23, 2006 Spotted Turtle-Dove - Streptopelia chinensis (Croydon, Vic)

2006-10-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

#23 June 11, 2005 Laughing Gull - Larus atricilla (Sandy Hook, Summer)

2006-10-10T20:27:00.001-04:00

A hot summer day in a mosquito paradise. I was walking around, many gulls were there, Laughing and some serious ones as well. I was in the very early stages of bird photography here. Light was bad, the lense was crap (I later got a better lense)

I am better at gull ID now, and saw L. atricilla in winter plumage in Central Park late 2006 with Ben.

#16 May 15, 2005 House Sparrow - Passer domesticus, Male (Central Park, Winter)

2006-10-10T20:26:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it?, one of the most common birds was one of the hardest ones for me to ID, the guides do no justice to the variety of plumages for this species. It took me a few days, lots of cursing at the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region field guide, whose pictures are as good as stick figures.

In the end, I got it, and now, I can actually say that in a good day, a male P. domesticus is a dapper bird indeed.

I also went to Barnes & Noble and bought A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America it served well in it's year of duty.

#239 May 19, 2006 American Oystercatcher - Haematopus palliatus (Sandy Hook, NJ)

2006-10-10T20:25:00.001-04:00

#45 June 24, 2005 Roseate Spoonbills - Ajaia ajaja & White Ibis - Eudocimus albus (Ding Darling, FL)

2006-10-10T20:24:00.001-04:00

#41 June 24, 2005 White ibis - Eudocimus albus (Ding Darling, FL)

2006-10-10T20:23:00.002-04:00

#124 March 5, 2006 Snow Bunting - Plectrophenax nivalis (Sandy Hook, NJ)

2006-10-10T20:23:00.001-04:00

#203 April 12, 2006 Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula (Central Park, NY)

2006-10-10T20:22:00.000-04:00

#220 May 6, 2006 Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Pheucticus ludovicianus (Garrett Mountain, NJ)

2006-10-10T20:21:00.000-04:00

Hybrid #1 Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos X American Black Duck - Anas rubripes (Central Park, Winter)

2006-10-10T20:17:00.000-04:00

#226 May 10 2006 Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus (Central Park, NY)

2006-10-10T20:16:00.000-04:00

#112 February 3, 2006 Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Central Park, NY)

2006-10-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

#51 July 15, 2005 Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis (Central Park, NY)

2006-10-08T10:00:00.002-04:00

#97 January 14, 2006 Brant - Branta bernicla (Barnegat Light, NJ)

2006-10-08T10:00:00.001-04:00

#87 January 13, 2006 Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis (Central Park, NY)

2006-10-08T09:59:00.001-04:00

#224 May 6, 2006 Northern Parula - Parula americana (Garrett Mountain, NJ)

2006-10-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

#200 April 12, 2006 Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus (Central Park, NY)

2006-10-08T09:55:00.000-04:00

#141 March 13, 2006 Rainbow Lorikeet - Trichoglossus haematodus (Phillip Island, Vic)

2006-10-08T09:51:00.002-04:00

#138 March 13, 2006 Rufous Night-Heron - Nycticorax caledonicus (Phillip Island, Vic)

2006-10-08T09:51:00.001-04:00

#143 March 13, 2006 Pacific Gull - Larus pacificus & Silver Gull - Larus novaehollandiae (Phillip Island, Vic)

2006-10-08T09:49:00.000-04:00

#154 March 14, 2006 Grey Shrike-thrush - Colluricincla harmonica (Phillips Island, Vic)

2006-10-08T09:47:00.000-04:00

#135 March 13, 2006 Black Swan - Cygnus atratus (Phillips Island, Vic)

2006-10-08T09:46:00.000-04:00

#172 March 16, 2006 White-faced Heron - Egretta novaehollandiae (Lakes Entrance, Vic)

2006-07-31T20:57:00.000-04:00

#178 March 17, 2006 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo - Calyptorhynchus funereus (Wildwood Flowers, Vic

2006-07-31T20:56:00.000-04:00

#152 March 14, 2006 Galah - Cacatua roseicapilla (Phillip Island, Vic)

2006-07-31T20:55:00.000-04:00

#201 April 12, 2006 Purple Finch - Carpodacus purpureus (Central Park, NY)

2006-07-31T20:53:00.000-04:00

#29 June 19, 2005 Common Ground Dove - Columbina passerina (Ding Darling, FL)

2006-07-31T20:52:00.000-04:00

#89 January 13, 2006 White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis (Central Park, NY)

2006-07-31T20:50:00.001-04:00

#74 November 15, 2005 American Coot - Fulica americana (Celery Farm, NJ)

2006-07-31T20:50:00.000-04:00

#27 June 18, 2005 Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus (Big Cypress, FL)

2006-07-31T20:48:00.000-04:00

#55 August 13, 2005 Green Heron - Butorides virescens (Sandy Hook, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:51:00.000-04:00

#22 June 11, 2005 Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus (Edgewater, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

#47 July 3, 2005 Downy Woodpercker - Picoides pubescens (Franconia Notch, NH)

2006-07-09T09:49:00.000-04:00

#33 June 22, 2005 Brown Noddy - Anous stolidus (Dry Tortugas, FL)

2006-07-09T09:48:00.000-04:00

#116 February 20, 2006 Harlequin Duck - Histrionicus histrionicus (Barnegat Light, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:47:00.000-04:00

#117 February 20, 2006 Purple Sandpiper - Calidris maritima (Barnegat Light, Winter)

2006-07-09T09:44:00.000-04:00

#205 April 14, 2006 Palm Warbler - Dendroica palmarum (North Bergen, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:43:00.000-04:00

#125 March 10, 2006 Willet - Catoptrophorus semipalmatus (Redondo Beach, CA)

2006-07-09T09:42:00.000-04:00

#104 January 14, 2006 Black Scoter - Melanitta nigra (Sandy Hook, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:41:00.000-04:00

#15 May 11, 2005 Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula (Garrett Mountain, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:35:00.000-04:00

#36 June 23, 2005 Snowy Egret - Egretta thula (Ding Darling, FL)

2006-07-09T09:33:00.000-04:00

#199 Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor (Celery Farm, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:32:00.000-04:00

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis (Garrett Mountain, Spring)

2006-07-09T09:27:00.000-04:00

Mute Swan - Cygnus olor (Central Park, NY)

2006-07-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas (Garrett Mountain, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:20:00.000-04:00

#8 May 3, 2005 Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos (North Bergen, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:19:00.000-04:00

House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus, Male (Central Park, NY)

2006-07-09T09:18:00.000-04:00

#85 January 6, 2006 Great Horned Owl - Bubo virginianus (Central Park, NY)

2006-07-09T09:17:00.000-04:00

#111 February 2, 2006 Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum (Central Park, NY)

2006-07-09T09:16:00.000-04:00

Black and White Warbler - Mniotilta varia (Garrett Mountain, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:15:00.000-04:00

#115 February 20, 2006 Common Loon - Gavia immer (Barnegat Light, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:11:00.000-04:00

Black Skimmer - Rynchops niger (Redondo Beach, Spring)

2006-07-09T09:09:00.000-04:00

Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularis (Spring, Breeding, Sandy Hook)

2006-07-09T09:07:00.000-04:00

#20 June 1, 2005 American Robin - Turdus migratorius, Nesting (Garrett Mouontain, NJ)

2006-07-09T09:05:00.000-04:00

#81 January 6, 2006 Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola , Male, Diving (Central Park, NY)

2006-07-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

#217 May 6, 2006 Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia (Tappan Reservoir, NJ)

2006-06-14T15:45:00.000-04:00

#26 June 15, 2005 Monk Parakeet - Myiopsitta monachus (Edgewater, NJ)

2006-06-14T15:23:00.000-04:00

There is a large colony of these in Edgewater, NJ. Their stick nests can be seen around River Road. They are noisy, but do look good when flying around.

The picture was taken in Central Park though, my first NY sighting of the species.

June 2nd, 2006. Fulvous Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna bicolor (Jamaica Bay, Spring)

2006-06-13T10:07:00.000-04:00

June 23rd, 2005. Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias (m, Captiva Island, Fl, US. Summer)

2006-05-26T10:33:00.000-04:00

#123 March 5th, 2006. American Widgeon - Anas americana (Sandy Hook, NJ)

2006-05-26T10:27:00.000-04:00

#1 Apr 5th, 2005 Rock Pidgeon - Columba livia (Hudson County, NJ, US)

2006-05-26T10:20:00.000-04:00

#221 May 6, 2006 Black-throated Blue Warbler - Dendroica caerulescens (Garrett Mountain, NJ)

2006-05-25T17:28:00.000-04:00

#108 January 27, 2006Eastern Screetch Owl, Gray Morph - Megascops asio (Central Park, NY)

2006-05-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

#166 March 15, 2006 Little-pied Cormorant - Phalacrocorax melanoleucos (Lakes Entrance, Vic)

2006-05-05T21:43:00.000-04:00

Spot #2 Stateline Lookout on the Palisade Interstate Parkway, NJ.

2006-05-05T21:38:00.000-04:00

Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus (Norwood, NJ 16 April 06)

2006-05-05T21:37:00.000-04:00

Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater (Central Park, Spring)

2006-05-05T21:34:00.000-04:00

Blurry Pic:: White-crowned Sparrow (Central Park, Spring)

2006-05-05T21:32:00.000-04:00

Marbled Godwit - Limosa fedoa (Redondo Beach, Ca)

2006-05-05T21:29:00.000-04:00

Black Shouldered Kite - Elanus caeruleus (Warragul, Vic, Aus, Fall)

2006-05-05T21:28:00.000-04:00

#139 March 13, 2006 Australian Magpie - Gymnorhina tibicen (Phillips Island, Vic)

2006-05-05T21:27:00.000-04:00

This was a very common bird, seen from Melbourne to Lakes Entrance. I can't recall seeing any once we started to go into the interior Noerth-East of Victoria towards Mitta Mitta. The pictured spp is most probably a G. tibicen tyrannica ONe of the sub-species of G. tibicen in the White-backed group.

Their voice is metalic and gurgling, like a giant deep voiced E. Starling they woke us daily while we stayed at Wildwood Flowers, perched on the TV aerial. It was while watching two large Magpies on the aerial the morning of March 15 that we saw two Gang-gang Cockatoo flying over, the red heads and black bodies stricking, loud too.

Their bill is massive, Oropendola-like, huge.

#187 March 17, 2006 Manned Duck - Chenonetta jubata (???, Victoria)

2006-05-05T21:26:00.000-04:00

#157 March 14, 2006 Australian Pelican - Pelecanus conspicillatus (Lakes Entrance, Vic)

2006-05-05T21:24:00.000-04:00

# Western Gull - Larus occidentalis (Malibu, CA)

2006-05-05T20:58:00.000-04:00

# Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna (Topanga Canyon, Ca)

2006-05-05T20:48:00.000-04:00

Oh, happy days. This was My first 'hummer' (stop right there keep it clean) It was loud and fast and brilliant. The day was cloudy and fairly cold for what I thought California should be (always sunny and warm and gun shots in the background). Afterwards I saw 2 more hummers, one of them fighting, or courting with this one.

We spent 20 minutes in Topanga canyon and I got 3 lifers, the hummer, a pecker and a scrub jay, then drove down the PCH back to Redondo, where I sat on the blacony looking at the beach and the bunch of Scoters and Western Grebes hanging around with the surfers and dolphins.

#48 Black-crowned Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax

2006-05-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

#190 March 18, 2006 White-bellied Sea Eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster (Nungurner, Victoria)

2006-04-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

I saw a few of these, soaring, I compared it to the TV of NA, this bird's dihedral was spectacular, it soars like its permanently diving off a plane. It was cloudy and windy, but it's all fieldmarks, so an easy tick. It cohabits with the Wedge-tailed Eagle 'wedgie'. Common enough not to be missed in any visit to Lakes Entrance in Victoria.

I blew the photo though, the greenery should have been the bg.

#66 Herring Gull - Larus argentatus aka. I havent seen one of them in a while.

2006-02-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

This was probably the first gull I saw, around Edgewater, NJ by 'The Commons', I can't recall much of the day, we were probably down there shopping. There are numerous Great Black-backed and Ring-billed Gulls there all year. It took me six months between seeing it and taking this picture at Barnegat Light.

Gulls are some of my favorite birds, they are noisy, and pester people at the beach and eat scraps.

#56 Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) aka The perv

2006-02-19T19:36:00.000-05:00

It was an infernally hot August day (08/13/2005) I was at Sandy Hook, NJ looking, or trying to, for a Red Pharalope that had been reported in the northern parts of The Hook. I dipped on the RP, so walked around for a bit. Suddenly, I needed to go to the men's room, I found them behind the SHBO. I was walking out and there it was, looking through the door, I yelled perv at the Cedar Waxwing, then took a picture, then having been discovered it flew off.

I also saw a Green Heron (#57) and an American Goldfinch (#55) that day for the first time.

#80 Hooded Merganser (Mergus cucullatus) aka Rockland pays off.

2006-02-13T16:59:00.000-05:00

I managed to remember Rockland Lake State Park up Rt. 9W about 30 minutes away from us. It was cold and we had nothing to do for the day, so I convinced my wife to drive me up there. The drive itself brought some memories of the first time we went to Bear Mountain, otherwise boring.

We arrived at the lake and set off for a walk, though we saw many signs of "No dogs/pets allowed" every other walker had a dog with them. We went half way up the West side of the lake, saw some ducks... Spotted a large group of Mute Swans on the East side of the lake, so we walked over there.

Once on there, we spotted Common merganser (#79), Hooded merganser, Mute Swans, Mallards, Canvasbacks (#78) and the lovely Canada Goose. An older gentleman also pointed out a Red-tailed Hawk perched in a dead tree, it was low and gave us great views.

The pic below is from a walk in Central Park (The Reservoir to be exact), a cold Winter day on what I had plan as a day to sweep all the left over species from the park that I had not seen. Well that didn't happen, but I did see lots of birds.

#113 Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens) aka Is that a cloud?

2006-02-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

Wow, have you ever seen 10,000 big, white, loud, moving birds?

I did 2 hours ago and I was awed, so was my wife. These geese are common, mind you, but to stand there in a -20 (f) windchill and be able to take it made it all the better

There were Canada Goose there as well :) I have nothing to say, but look at the picture, that is about 10% of the band of birds that extended over Merrill Creek Reservoir in New Jersey.

Other birds seen today, Wild Turkey (#68 for 2006), Eastern Bluerbird (#114, #67 for 2006), Red-tailed Hawk, and some other common little feathered critters.

#7 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) aka Omar look!

2006-02-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

It was a rainy, not so hot day in May (the 2nd, 2005) My wife and myself were having a weight loss walk at a nearby park. As we walk in and head towards the small man-made pond My wife sort of whispers a yell at me: "Omar, look!".

I turn my head up and take the hood of the jacket down, through rain stained glasses I saw what looked to be a 5 foot tall RTH, I mean it was immense. Less than a minute later it flew toward some tennis courts and then quickly left that area. The tail was as red as it can get.

I did not see another RTH for a few months, and have now seen them at different ages. I think it was 'Pale Male' and 'Lola' of Central Park fame. The picture below was taken in Central Park and is an immature RTH, I wanted to change it up a bit, the adults seem to get all the glory.

Revolt, immature Red-tails, Revolt!

Spot #1 The Gill in The Rambles in Central Park

2006-02-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

Well this is one of those spots where lots of birds are seen in 'CP'. It is a nice walk around it in Winter. I saw the Great Horned Owl (looking up from where the picture was taken)here. Other spp that I've managed to see here have been numerous Sparrows and Warblers as well as a Rose-breasted Grosbeaks .

The Gill is to the west of 'The Feeders'. I stop by on the way down to the 'Oven' from the 'Maintenance Meadow'

#39 Great Egret (Ardea alba) aka I am breeding and you don't even know it.

2006-02-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

This is another bird I saw during my Florida vacation (06/05), we had gone to 'The Green Flash Restaurant' to see if we saw Otters, well, we didn't, no Manatee's either. While having lunch, burgers (again!) I think, and some calamari this Great Egret perched on top of a little hut on the pier jutting out of the restaurant's first floor. I took a few pictures, not the first time I saw the bird sort of thing. Then a bit of wind came up and the feathers got all pretty, so I snapped again and managed to get this shot.

During the "ooooh" and "ahhhh" of the photo op we missed a Great Blue Heron walking around on the ground floor. We went down and said hello to it. It was rude, and did not say "Hello" back.

A final note on the pic and the breeding Egret. I saw many the next day, green 'lorres' a plenty.

#94 Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) aka Veni, Vidi, Vinci

2006-02-08T18:51:00.000-05:00

By now, 01/13/2006, I had only looked for one bird on purpose, a Red Pharalope at Sandy Hook, which I dipped after walking in the summer sun for an hour. Back to the 'now', I read of a Rusty Blackbird in Central Park and decided to have a stroll and see if I could get the tic.

A sidebar, I am a native Manhattanite and have been to Central Park dozens of times; But, for the life of me I could not decipher the local nicknames for parts of the park. When I read 'The Oven' I knew there was trouble ahead.

I got t the park through my favorite entrance 72nd Street and CPW, west of 'Strawberry Fields', looked around, I did not notice anything lively around there (There were at the time an Eastern Towhee, Brown Thrasher and a Hermit Thrush in 'SF' area) I walked towards 'The Feeders' via 'The Lake' and spotted another birder, I saw an opportunity and went for it.

Me: "Hello there, seen anything"
He: "Hi, the Rusty is there"
Me: "Where is it today"
He: "Right there, peek over you'll see it"
Me: "Thanks"
He: "Enjoy"

Or something like that.

In one shot I found 'The Rusty' and, more importantly, I had found 'The Oven'. I saw it for a while, nice colors on the bird, it was drinking and eating right at the edge of the water, there were Common Grackles, House Sparrows, Northern Cardinals (By the bushel) and Squirrels with it, Rusty ignored them all. The picture below is from a week later, a lady birder (lets call her Antonia), was taking pictures of Rusty while it perched. I joined her. Result!

#05 April 21, 2005 Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis (North Bergen, NJ)

2006-02-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

The Tick:

I was waiting for the NJ Transit bus, suddenly a flash of red flew into view. It perched on a fence about 3 feet from me, next to a small pine tree. I looked and though "Boy that IS red", I got on the bus and didn't think much of it until later on that day. I came home later on and had my wife drive me down to a local Barnes & Noble, there I bought my second bird guide: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region (ISBN: 0679428526). In the guide I found that it was a Northern Cardinal I saw. The bug had bitten, and I found myself in the early stages of Birding .

Why is it #5 then and not #1?, because the previous few days I had seen 4 other birds that I could ID without a guide. Look for them on the blog.

The Science [w]:

The Cardinals (Cardinalidae) are a family of passerine birds living in The Americas.
These are robust, seed-eating birds, with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinctive appearances; the family is named for the red plumage (like that of a Catholic cardinal's vestments) of males of the type species (Nominative spp), the Northern Cardinal.

The “buntings” in this family are sometimes generically known as “tropical buntings” (though not all live in the tropics) or “North American buntings” (though there are other buntings in North America) to distinguish them from the true buntings. Likewise the grosbeaks in this family are sometimes called “cardinal-grosbeaks” to distinguish them from other grosbeaks. The name “cardinal-grosbeak” can also apply to this family as a whole.

Cardinals mate in early spring. Their nests are loosely woven in tall bushes such as honeysuckle and rose. Their diet includes seeds and small berries. In fact, the berry of the holly bush, which is rich in beta carotene and lycopenes, is responsible for the brilliant coloring of the male specimen.

There are around 11 genera in this family.

The Birding [w]:

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a member of the cardinal family of birds in North America. The bird's name comes from the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals. Its crested head is also said to resemble a bishop's mitre. Cardinals have been also referred to as redbirds and Virginia nightingales. Cardinals were once popular cage birds for their bright color and rich, varied songs.

Cardinals are abundant across the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and in Canada in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Their range extends west to the U.S.-Mexico border and south through Mexico to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, northern Guatemala, and northern Belize. They were introduced to Bermuda in 1700. They have also been introduced in Hawaii, and Southern California. Their natural habitats are woodlands, suburbs, gardens, swamps and thickets.