If you live where it snows (in the USA), you know that northern cardinals stand out against the white snow quite markedly. Lots of pictures, puzzles, sweaters, socks, towels, etc. all attest to this.
So it turns out that cardinals are really more red in the winter.
Are Cardinals Redder in Winter?"Like many birds, Northern Cardinals molt their feathers and grow new ones in late summer and early fall, after the breeding season is over and at a time when food is abundant. During autumn people often comment about how ratty cardinals look. Molting cardinals commonly have areas of dark, exposed skin on their head or body, and some even molt their head feathers all at once, rendering the birds bald.
But even after its head is covered in feathers again, a newly molted male cardinal isn’t at his brightest. Many of his new feathers, especially on the neck and back, are tipped with gray. During fall and winter these dusky feather tips slowly wear off, revealing more and more brilliant red.
The birds reach the peak of brilliance by midwinter ahead of the spring breeding season. Against snow-covered conifers, it’s a feast for our eyes, too. The richness of a male’s red feathers may make a difference in his reproductive success: One study found that in rural areas, brighter red cardinals tended to mate earlier and nest in higher-quality habitat—factors usually associated with more offspring."
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