A flash of red through bare branches. The clear notes of bird song in a cold January breeze. These cheering sights and sounds of winter signal the beginning of another year in the life of the cardinal, one of the United States' most beautiful and best-loved songbirds.In this inviting guide, June Osborne and Barbara Garland follow a year in the life of the Northern Cardinal with a fact-filled text and glowing color photographs. They describe how cardinals stake out territory and choose mates, find a nesting site and incubate their eggs, feed the young and prepare them for full-fledged independence. Full of intriguing facts, the book also recounts how cardinals cope with predators and parasites, serve as surrogate parents for other species, and survive adverse weather and shortages of food.The Cardinal also explores the special relationship that humans have with their favorite redbirds. Osborne traces the symbolic use of cardinals as state birds and athletic mascots and shows how they appear on everything from postage stamps to Christmas cards, as well as in fine art, literature, and Native American folklore. For backyard bird watchers, she suggests ways to attract cardinals and gives recipes for cardinal foods.Like its earlier companion volume, The Mockingbird, The Cardinal is for everyone, amateur and professional, who enjoys the striking presence of America's favorite birds. Read Less