PR

The Virginia cardinal is probably the bird first noticed by visitors to the Historic Triangle area. It is large enough to be easily seen, and a spectacular scarlet coat sets it off from other native birds. Close observation shows a black mask on face and throat and a heavy orange-red bill surmounted by a flamboyant red crest that often expresses the bird`s mood.

The courtly and refined cardinal has been immortalized in a novel. "The Kentucky Cardinal" by James Lane Allen; and Gene Stratton Porter wrote a charming life study called "The Song of the Cardinal". Seven states that include Illinois. Indiana, Kentucky, north Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia claim the colorful and friendly "Redbird' as their state bird.

The cardinal`s nest is made of straw, grasses, weed stems or strips of bark. It is generally placed from five to twenty feet from the ground in a thicket of vines or in an evergreen tree. Two to four bluish eggs, shaded with spots of chestnut or purple, are laid and taken care of by the sober-colored female.