Her tangerine beak
and red-tipped mohawk, contrasts
tufts of golden brown.
One of my favorite birds is the female cardinal. While her male counterpart is bold and regal, she is subtle and complex, a real beauty. Throughout the winter I can count on finding her perched on the bare dogwood branches outside my office window.
The Way I See It 
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a female cardinal before. thanks!
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Agreed! We have a family living in our backyard and I find them all so beautiful (especially the female).
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen one either – I remember cardinals from my childhood home but we don’t have them here.
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I moved to the west coast a year ago and one of my few regrets is that the cardinal, my favorite bird, doesn’t live here. Thanks for the verbal and visual image.
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“Her red-tipped mohawk…” I can see the power in the female cardinal. I also love what the red mohawk implies — bold, rebel, cool as hell.
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I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the more subtle beauty of the female cardinal. Thank you for this piece and for inviting me to look a little more closely.
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“Subtle and complex” is a great way to describe her. I am always disappointed that males in so many species of animals are “prettier” but maybe I’m just looking at it the wrong way! Thanks for sharing!
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