ronvan3 Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Seen early October in southeastern Virginia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) The dark (not bright orange) bill indicates this is an immature cardinal. It may be a male has not yet molted into its adult colors. Edited October 7, 2022 by Charlie Spencer 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanager 101 Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 3 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: The dark (not bright orange) bill indicates this is an immature cardinal. It may be a male has not yet molted into its adult colors. agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 I'm viewing this on a laptop and this is fine for an adult female. The bill looks orange to me but might appear dark because of the lighting of the photo on smaller monitors. Also, it's a bit too late for cardinals of this year to still not have molted from my experience. Female Northern Cardinal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 9 minutes ago, Quiscalus quiscula said: Also, it's a bit too late for cardinals of this year to still not have molted from my experience. The bird's in SE VA. I still have dark-billed cards at my feeders in central SC. They may be done molting in NY but I suspect some mated pairs further south may be able to squeeze in a late brood, esp. with climate change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Just now, Charlie Spencer said: The bird's in SE VA. I still have dark-billed cards at my feeders in central SC. They may be done molting in NY but I suspect some mated pairs further south may be able to squeeze in a late brood, esp. with climate change. Okay, but the bill of this bird is definitely orange. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) Agree with immature (male or female) bird - drab with no red on crest or wings, bill in transition from black to orange. Edited October 7, 2022 by RobinHood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Okay, I'm not great at assigning age or sex to birds so not dying on this hill but I'm pretty sure any darkness on the bill is from shadow. Could definitely be wrong though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 10 minutes ago, Quiscalus quiscula said: I'm pretty sure any darkness on the bill is from shadow. I think the bill is a pale orange, as in changing from black to dark orange/red. I think it is immature but it could be just a really drab female although the bill should be darker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, Quiscalus quiscula said: I'm pretty sure any darkness on the bill is from shadow. To me, the base of the bill is still immaturely dark. It gets lighter and yellowish toward the tip but I don't see it as the full bright orange of an adult bird. This bird is still overall beige, more than can be accounted for by shade. Other than maybe a faint flush under the tail, I don't see any of the red or reddish hues on this bird that would be seen on an adult of either sex. Here's one of my adult females for comparison: Edited October 7, 2022 by Charlie Spencer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 16 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: To me, the base of the bill is still immaturely dark. It gets lighter and yellowish toward the tip but I don't see it as the full bright orange of an adult bird. This bird is still overall beige, more than can be accounted for by shade. Other than maybe a faint flush under the tail, I don't see any of the red or reddish hues on this bird that would be seen on an adult of either sex. Here's one of my adult females for comparison: I'm still pretty sure the bill is lighting. The redness, I get. As I already said, not dying on this hill. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 (edited) I agree with @Quiscalus quiscula - I don't see anything wrong with it being an adult or near-adult female. It is certainly not a male since young males have very red plumage before their beak changes color. Edited October 8, 2022 by The Bird Nuts 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 7 hours ago, The Bird Nuts said: It is certainly not a male since young males have very red plumage before their beak changes color. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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