Northern cardinal

A male Northern cardinal

A female Northern cardinal

Song of the Northern cardinal.

The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a bird in the genus Cardinalis; it is also known as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal. It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, New Mexico, Illinois southern Arizona, southern California, and south through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.

The northern cardinal is the state bird of seven U.S. states, more than any other species: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. It was also a candidate to become the state bird of Delaware, but lost to the Delaware Blue Hen.