Plate 159 – Cardinal

While moving up the Atlantic coast of the United States in the summer of 1832, one of the birds that John James Audubon began seeing less of is now one of the most common. “Its song is at first loud and clear, resembling the finest sounds produced by the flageolet, and gradually descends into more marked and continued cadences, until it dies away in the air around.” The Cardinal (present-day Northern cardinal) is going against the trend of most birds in North America and expanding its range and numbers. Cardinals have taken a liking to bird feeders, suburban bushes and trees, and park areas. The loud and clear flageolet song of the Northern cardinal has also allowed the bird to compete against modern day commotion and engine noise.