northern cardinal

[ nawr-thern kahr-dn-l ]

noun

1. a distinctively crested songbird, Cardinalis cardinalis, the male of which is bright red: the most familiar cardinal in the eastern half of the United States and much of Mexico.

Word History and Origins

Origin of northern cardinal¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

It also had a thin, yellow bill like a chicken instead of the thick, orange bill of our northern cardinal—a trait that gynandromorphism wouldn’t alter.

From Slate

As the environment warms, southern species such as the grass wren and the northern cardinal spread further north in search of a suitable climate.

From Science Daily

Researchers found that two common songbirds, the Northern Cardinal and Carolina Wren, that live year-round in the urban core of San Antonio, Texas, had eyes about 5% smaller than members of the same species from the less bright outskirts.

From Science Daily

Shortly after a bright red northern cardinal winged into the Ohio feeder for the second time in two minutes and stuffed its beak, I sent its photo to the family text thread.

From Los Angeles Times

Then other birds, like the northern cardinal and the goldfinch.

From Seattle Times