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Northern cardinal enjoying a bath; photo © James Ownby: My View of Nature (all rights reserved; used by permission).
Official State Bird of West Virginia
West Virginia designated the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) as official state bird in 1949. Six other states recognize the strikingly beautiful northern cardinal as a state symbol (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia). All State Birds
College students, garden clubs, civic organizations, sportsmen clubs, and bird study groups helped to officially name the sugar maple as the state tree and the cardinal as the state bird. The northern cardinal was in competition with ten other birds including the American robin, the tufted titmouse, and the bluebird, but won by more than 11,000 votes.
Northern Cardinal Facts
One of America's favorite backyard birds, cardinals are distinctive in appearance and song (known for their "cheer cheer cheer," "whit-chew whit-chew" and "purty purty purty" whistles).
Male cardinals are a brilliant scarlet red, females a buffy-brown with reddish wings - both have a jet -black mask, pronounced crest, and heavy bill. The cardinal sings nearly year-round, and the male aggressively defends his 4-acre territory (male cardinals have been seen attacking small red objects mistaken as other males).
Northern cardinals breed 2-3 times each season. The female builds the nest and tends the hatchlings for about 10 days while the male brings food. The male then takes over the care of this first brood while the female moves on to a new nest and lays a second clutch of eggs.
