All female Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) have traces of red feathers, but this one that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge seemed to have bolder markings than most. Before I took her portrait, I could help noticing that she had seed remnants on her bill. I also can be a bit of a messy eater at times, so I am reluctant to allow anyone to photograph me while I am eating.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Beautiful shot of a female cardinal!
Lovely 😊
Nice Mike! Great detail!
She’s very pretty – wonderful, clear capture, Mike.
I’m partial toward the the females too, with their more subdued outfits; the males often seem to get most of the attention. She blends in so well with the bark of the winter trees. Sweet shot!
Thanks, Gary. Most of the time I favor the more “dignified” coloration of the female cardinal–the bright red of the male can sometimes look garish. At certain moments during the bleak days of winter, my senses are so starved for color that I rejoice at the sight of the bright red cardinal. Like so many things in life, my response to my preference with cardinals is “it depends.”
She doesn’t seem to mind, though. And I think you are right: she’s uncommonly bright. A non-binary cardinal? A middlesex cardinal?
I actually like the term non-binary in this circumstance–there is a traditional bright male look and a traditional female look that is more drab, but I suspect there are some males that are relatively more drab and females, like this one, that are relatively more bright.
Beautiful shot.
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Thanks, Mitzy.
She is almost sparkly!