Lady With The Lipstick

Everybody notices male cardinals.  It’s true that their scarlet-red color is beautiful, especially against a cloudy and somewhat dreary winter sky.  Images of them grace kitchen towels, sheets, and other linens.  They’re seen on coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets.  Males are bright and brilliant and distinctive.

However, though the female cardinal may not be as prominent, she has her own significant beauty.  She reminds me of a gracious lady who might not be out front being flashy or using up the fashion oxygen, but who remains a little more in the background.  And after awhile, people begin to notice her.  Then they look at that gracious lady and think “Wow, she is lovelier than I realized.”

 

The female cardinal is that lovely lady.  Most of her feathers are shades of honey tan.  But she’s sophisticated  and she is accessorized.  Her wings and tail complement the honey color with a shade of warm red, not as bright as the male’s, but still a nice garnet color.  She has just enough of that same red in her crest that she looks like she’s sporting a jaunty hat - obviously one with a feather in it.  And unlike many birds, she doesn’t change into duller hues for the winter, but keeps her attractive warm colors year round.  

 

The outstanding feature of the female cardinal is, in my opinion, not her coloration or her feather accessories.  It’s her short, thick beak, which is unusually colored for a bird.  Most birds’ beaks are grey, tan, or black; however, this lady’s is a beautiful shade of cherry-orange that complements the red in her wings and tail perfectly.  She looks like she’s gotten into a tube of that old Tangee lipstick that old-timers will remember.  That is how she gets her moniker “Lady with the Lipstick.” And since she lives in our area, can’t you just hear her Southern mama saying "Shugah, wouldn't you feel bettah with a little lipstick on?"

 

Now the male cardinal has a reddish beak also.  But since he is the same brilliant shade all over, his beak doesn’t stand out like the female’s does.  Hers is the crowning touch on her fashionable suit of feathered finery.  

 

This couple steps out together and is seen as a pair year-round.  They’re more noticeable in the winter because so many other birds have migrated away, and because with the leaves gone from the trees they provide a sharp contrast to the dull branches and ground.  And they are especially stunning when seen against the rare snowfalls that we get here in South Carolina.

 

So, as you get dressed up for holiday parties and events, remember that you have an elegant counterpart in the bird world around us.  I present to you Mr. Cardinal, and his Lady with the Lipstick!