The Colorful Cardinal (from the series: They Move Amongst Us)
The male cardinal that displays the colors of his Catholic namesake, while the female cardinal is colored a more demure orange and brown. Perhaps it is appropriate that the only cardinals that wear red are male. This is a peculiarly American bird, found both in North and South America, but nowhere else. They are seed eaters, living in open woodland and hence they are tempted by bird feeders and not too shy to venture near the house.
If you want to confuse the male cardinal then place mirrors in places where the male is likely to perch. When a male sees its reflection in the mirror it will assume at once that it is face to face with a rival. Cardinals will fiercely defend their territory and have been known to spend hours fighting their own mirror image.
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