June 25, 2025

Something that I rarely see. A juvenile Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Black legs, black beak, and feathers that allow it to blend in with its surroundings.

It looks like an adult Cardinal though the coloring is wrong. Sometime between 2 and 4 weeks of age the juvenile will grow to the size of an adult Cardinal. Its beak stays black until its first molt in the autumn, when the beak becomes lighter and brighter and the feathers will turn red, or pale tannish brown with reddish streaks.

Nature seems to always surprise me with the new or the seldom seen.

_______________________

If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!