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Cardinals with dark coats

8 years ago

I've been noticing that cardinals (male and female) this summer seem to have very dark coats this winter. Is it because of the severe cold?

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ZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado

8 years ago

Silly? Not in the least! Observations and questions just like this one form the foundation of scientific discovery! If we didn't have people just like you looking at the world around us and asking "I wonder if..." or "I wonder why..." imagine how far we WOULDN'T be!

Your idea does make plenty of sense. Many species of butterfly that live in the far north have dark bodies and the area around the base of their wings is also typically black in order to maximize heat absorption, precisely like you hypothesized about the darker colored birds!

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Comments (8)

PKponder TX Z7B
8 years ago
My cardinals are mia so I can't compare what I see down here.
ZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado
8 years ago
I don't think that birds feather color would change as a result of temperature. However, red pigment in male house finches can vary from yellow to deep crimson depending on the food they eat, particularly around the time that they are molting. It would be interesting to find out if the same is true of other red-colored birds such as cardinals.
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catherinet
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Sorry, PK!

Thanks Zach.......yeah, I guess it would be hard to change feather colors very quickly, except if they ate certain things when forming the feathers. Silly me, I was thinking maybe if it was colder than usual for several weeks/month (minus temps and single digits), maybe their coats darkened to absorb more of the sun's heat. But in retrospect, that was sort of silly thinking. It's not like a tree frog, chameleon, etc.
catherinet
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Zach! That's kind of you.
Pat Z5or6 SEMich
8 years ago
Thank God for my Cardinals. Maybe they seem redder because it's been so very cold and dreary this year so far. I have many birds MIA this winter also, but the Cardinals keep coming and I am so grateful.
Blue Onblue
8 years ago
I have noticed them too in Ohio. We have some very vibrant red Cardinals and some that are very dark. A mix of burgundy and brown to my eyes.
ellaboobella
8 years ago
Cardinals feather color is in direct relation to their diet. Male cardinals, for example, are deeper and more vibrant red when their diets are good. This is one way they attract a female, because his bright red feathers lets her know he has a great territory.

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