By Sally Siko

The state bird of N.C. is the Northern Cardinal, a familiar backyard feathered gem boldly colored with a cheerful song.
Have you ever wondered what gives their plumage that bright red color?

The coloration in these birds comes from three naturally occurring chemical compounds: melanin, porphyrins, and carotenoids.
Melanin is present in humans, giving us our skin, hair and eye colors — and it’s what gives cardinals black, brown, and buff hues.
Porphyrin is responsible for reddish and brownish shades.
But it’s the carotenoids, which create yellow, orange, and red colors, that are perhaps the most important to the male cardinal’s striking red coloring.

These carotenoids are found in plants. Cardinals that are especially bright red, are most likely dining on a healthy diet of carotenoid-rich fruits and berries.
You can aid these gorgeous birds in their development of rich coloration by planting native berry bushes like raspberries and mulberries in your yard. Another excellent food source is the Dogwood tree as their berries are particularly favored by Cardinals.
In addition to offering black oil sunflower seeds, you can also mix in some safflower seeds into your feeder which will add a bit of extra carotenoids into their high protein diets.
Such a gorgeous bird!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

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