Spring Cardinal #1
by Darren Fisher
Title
Spring Cardinal #1
Artist
Darren Fisher
Medium
Photograph - Photography/ Digital Art
Description
A stunning male Cardinal captured on the twig of a bradford pear in bloom, with a gorgeous sky of blue and full of clouds in the background on a Spring day. I have used effects and textures so the photo would have the look of a painting.
The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 20�23.5 cm (7.9�9.3 in) and a wingspan of 25�31 cm (9.8�12.2 in). The adult weighs from 33.6�65 g (1.19�2.29 oz), with an average 44.8 g (1.58 oz).[6] The male averages slightly larger than the female.[7] The adult male is a brilliant crimson red color with a black face mask over the eyes, extending to the upper chest. The color becomes duller and darker on the back and wings.[8] The female is fawn, with mostly grayish-brown tones and a slight reddish tint on the wings, the crest, and the tail feathers.[9] The face mask of the female is gray to black and is less defined than that of the male. Both sexes possess prominent raised crests and bright coral-colored beaks. The beak is cone-shaped and strong.[8] Young birds, both male and female, show the coloring similar to the adult female until the fall, when they molt and grow adult feathers.[10] They are brown above and red-brown below, with brick-colored crest, forehead, wings, and tail.[4] The legs and feet are a dark pink-brown. The iris of the eye is brown.[4] The plumage color of the males is produced from carotenoid pigments in the diet.[11] Coloration is produced from both red pigments and yellow carotenoid pigments.[12] Northern Cardinal males possess the ability to metabolize carotenoid pigments to create plumage pigmentation of a color different from the ingested pigment. When fed only yellow pigments, males become a pale red color, rather than a yellow.[12] However, there are rare "yellow morph" cardinals, where all feathers (except for black face mask) and beak are a moderate yellow color.
Uploaded
March 2nd, 2014
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Viewed 1,147 Times - Last Visitor from Romeo, MI on 04/22/2024 at 9:07 PM
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Comments (28)
Jacqueline Athmann
Surprise & Congratulations!! Your photo has been featured on The Art Shoppe Cafe group homepage! Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us! F/L
Jean OKeeffe dba Macro Abundance Art
Congratulations for your image being featured on the home page of the FAA group WFS! v