|
|
A different looking male cardinal - Update
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4 Next
|
|
|
|
|
gfreiherr Showing Great Promise

 Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 659 PlantStew: 740 |
| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 3:12 am Post subject: A different looking male cardinal - Update |
|
We have at least four pair of cardinals that frequent our feeders. There is one male cardinal that looks different from the others. I can always pick him out because he is more red than the others. The feathers around his face & neck are fuller and he is not as plump as the others. I thought he might be a juvenile but he does not look like the photos I have seen of juveniles. Any thoughts?
Different looking male cardinal ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden )
One of my thoughts is that I am spending too much time watching out the window.
_________________ ~ GAIL
"A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul" ~Sadi
Live, Love, Laugh...Garden
Last edited by gfreiherr on Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
|
|
| Back to top |
|
toni Mistress of Garden Junque

Administrator
PlantStew Moderator
Regular Plantstew Contributor (over 1000 edits)
Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Location: North Texas (Map) Posts: 8793 PlantStew: 17412 |
| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 3:44 am Post subject: |
|
It looks like he may have a genetic defect or is ill. A juvenile male looks like the adult but has the coloring of the female.
_________________ Gardening is an adventure liberally laced with misadventure.--Midge Ellis Keebler
Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
|
|
| Back to top |
|
eileen Moderator & Resident Taxonomist

Forum Moderator
Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Location: Scotland (Map) Posts: 15716
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:38 am Post subject: |
|
It certainly looks as though there may be something wrong with the male on the left. He's way too thin and I think that's why the head looks fuller than the one on the right. Let's hope that he survives.
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
Droopy Slug Slaughterer

Regular Plantstew Contributor (over 1000 edits)
Joined: 11 Aug 2007 Location: Western Norway (Map) Posts: 8252 PlantStew: 10085 |
| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:04 pm Post subject: |
|
Maybe he's eaten too much carotenoid pigment? He really is brilliant sitting there. I hope he's well.
_________________ The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
-Bertrand Russell
|
|
| Back to top |
|
gfreiherr Showing Great Promise

 Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 659 PlantStew: 740 |
| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:22 pm Post subject: |
|
He is pretty aggressive and fearless around the other birds and appears healthy (and eats a lot). The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes seem larger.
_________________ ~ GAIL
"A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul" ~Sadi
Live, Love, Laugh...Garden
|
|
| Back to top |
|
bsewnsew Enlightened One

 Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 2769 PlantStew: 2 |
| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:11 pm Post subject: |
|
They are both so cute.
It doesnt have the black the whole way aroung the eye part either.
Sure is bright. Maybe just a freak one.
It does have the Orange beak that cardinals wear.
Keep showing.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
daisybeans Enlightened One

 Joined: 28 Mar 2009 Location: annapolis md Posts: 3018
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:29 am Post subject: |
|
Very interesting. A mystery to be solved. He surely does look very different.
_________________ Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
|
|
| Back to top |
|
toni Mistress of Garden Junque

Administrator
PlantStew Moderator
Regular Plantstew Contributor (over 1000 edits)
Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Location: North Texas (Map) Posts: 8793 PlantStew: 17412 |
| Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:36 am Post subject: |
|
I would send the photo to http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search and ask if they knew anything about what might be wrong with him.
_________________ Gardening is an adventure liberally laced with misadventure.--Midge Ellis Keebler
Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
|
|
| Back to top |
|
gfreiherr Showing Great Promise

 Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 659 PlantStew: 740 |
| Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 1:24 pm Post subject: |
|
Great idea Toni... I just sent them an email.
_________________ ~ GAIL
"A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul" ~Sadi
Live, Love, Laugh...Garden
|
|
| Back to top |
|
gfreiherr Showing Great Promise

 Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 659 PlantStew: 740 |
| Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:11 pm Post subject: |
|
I heard back from the Cornell website and she said to send my photos and she would take a look. He was back on the ledge this morning and is missing more feathers around his eye, that's why it looks so distinctive. Here is today's photo.
update on cardinal ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden )
Will let you know when I hear back. Appreciate everyone's responses.
_________________ ~ GAIL
"A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul" ~Sadi
Live, Love, Laugh...Garden
|
|
| Back to top |
|
Kay Showing Great Promise

 Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Location: Lincoln, Nebraska (Map) Posts: 385 PlantStew: 712 |
| Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:40 pm Post subject: |
|
I have a friend who is an avid bird watcher/photographer and this Cardinal reminded me of some photos he took last year (2009) The Cardinals had this same appearance, like they were shedding or losing feathers. Some of them were completely bald! After consulting with one of our local bird guys, they thought it might be some kind of mite. We haven't seen any like this since. He sure is a beautiful red though.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
kuntrygal Texas Rose
 Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Location: Texas ~ Zone 8 Posts: 3549 PlantStew: 313 |
| Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:50 pm Post subject: |
|
He isn't looking so good. Gail, I hope you hear back from Cornell soon.
_________________ Gaylyn ~ 2277 ~
"I'm so far behind, I thought I was first"
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain"
|
|
| Back to top |
|
glendann Official Garden Angel
 Joined: 19 May 2006 Location: Texas (Map) Posts: 9643 PlantStew: 289 |
| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:23 am Post subject: |
|
I think he look sick in that last photo.I sure hope not.He is so pretty.
_________________
'Life is not measured by the breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.'
|
|
| Back to top |
|
Sjoerd King Of The Hill

 Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Location: West - Friesland (Map) Posts: 5269 PlantStew: 100 |
| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:44 am Post subject: |
|
I am following your posts with interest. I wonder what it could be. Mites was the first thing that I thought of too, Kay...but when I saw how th feathers were standing-out, I wondered if there might not be a tumor or a cyst or some type of swelling under the skin pushing the feathers up and outwards.
It's so unfortunate that this lovely bird has this problem, but I am quite interested to discover the condition's cause.
_________________ Sjoerd http://www.volkstuindersvereniginghoornenomstreken.nl/Page11.html
|
|
| Back to top |
|
gfreiherr Showing Great Promise

 Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 659 PlantStew: 740 |
| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:49 pm Post subject: |
|
I have been doing some research on line and suspect you are right about the mites. When I cropped the last photo of him there was an alarming difference in one week. He is a very active bird and comes to the ledge & feeders on a regular basis. Still waiting to hear back from Cornell. Here is an interesting article I found on cardinals & mites.
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek030701.html
_________________ ~ GAIL
"A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul" ~Sadi
Live, Love, Laugh...Garden
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4 Next
2 members like this forum topic
You're looking at one of the many forums on GardenStew.com. Register for free to join in the discussion.
|
|