The Northern Cardinal is a 25 cm cardinalid, with a large head surmounted by a characteristic erectile crest and long rectangular tail. The sexual dimorphism is evident: the adult male is of a characteristic uniform carmine red on the whole body, which becomes less vivid on the back and on the wings, with a black mask around the eyes and beak, the female is instead gray-brownish , with red or pink shades on wings, ridge and tail with a lighter colored mask than the male. The red color of the plumage is obtained starting from the carotenoids present in the diet .

Habitat: widespread in North and Central America, particularly in the western area, preferably lives in bushy areas, but it can be found in marshy areas as in semi-desert areas.

Feeding: it is an essentially granivorous animal, the diet is based on grass seeds, grains, berries and fruit. In the reproductive period it can also feed on small insects and invertebrates.