Male Northern Cardinal

 The male Northern Cardinal is one of the easiest birds to identify and even easier to spot in the wild. A year round resident in approximately 50 to 60 percent of Arizona the Cardinal is described as having a conservation status of Least Concern by the IUCN with it's population status listed as stable. The IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species according to it's website. http://www.iucnredlist.org

This particular Northern cardinal was spotted at Sabino Canyon in Tucson Arizona along the creek which has a robust flow due to recent rain and snow events. I have to say that it was an unusual encounter as this bird came within a few feet of me and hung around the entire time I was at the location. It seemed not to have any fear of me and these photos were taken with a 135mm lens. I like these photos because they give a more complete picture of the coloring on male cardinals showing the dark almost black on the top of the tail and wings. I rely on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for information on birds as I find them to be easy to understand and for the most part pretty comprehensive.
Here is more information on the Northern Cardinal including vocalizations listed under the "Sounds" section: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/id