The cardinal is about eight or nine inches (20 to 23 centimeters) long. The male has a crest and bright red feathers. It has black feathers around its bill. The female also has a crest and a black face. It is mostly tan with just a little bit of red.

The cardinal used to be found only in the southeast. Now it can be found in the whole eastern half of the United States and parts of Mexico. People put up bird feeders, so the cardinal can live in more places.

The female cardinal builds a shallow, cup-shaped nest. It can be made of many things including twigs, grass, hair, leaves and paper. It lays three to four eggs. The eggs are light gray or green with brown spots. They are about 1 inch long. The eggs take a little under 2 weeks to hatch. About 10 days later, the young are ready to leave the nest. The father cardinal feeds the babies while the mother gets ready to lay more eggs. She can lay eggs up to four times a year. Sometimes a cowbird lays an egg in a cardinal’s nest. That makes it harder for the cardinal babies to survive.