Our new guest- —Blogfinger photo.  Note the coloring and the absence of a pointy head.     August 11, 2013

Classic male northern cardinal. Internet photo

Blogfinger Birding Department:  Eileen and Paul

We’ve been birdwatching for years, but we recently saw something that we have not seen before.  Can you help figure it out?

If you live in the northeast, you are used to seeing cardinals.  The males are bright red  (see above) and have a reddish bill, while the females are more greenish red and also have a red beak.  The babies often are light tan with some hints of red.

We have had cardinals in our North End area on a regular basis. The neighborhood has water, trees and some open spaces  (i.e. Fireman’s Park).  The cardinals are skittish birds and often show up early in the morning and at dusk. About a month ago we spotted an unusual cardinal.   We were sure it was a male, but it had a black head and an unusually bright red beak.  In addition it lacked a pointy head, had a white collar, and it’s color was on the purple side.  It was somewhat larger than most and more beefy.  It would come and go just occasionally and it seemed to be a loner.

But now he has revealed himself to be a family man. He came today with two babies and a female. He was feeding the babies from his beak to theirs.    We toss safflower seeds out because the cardinals like to feed on the ground, and they especially like safflower seeds which some other birds ignore.

I was determined to get a photo, and was successful this morning.  Technically it is not ideal, but you can see the coloring which is the main issue.  We suspect that it is  some sort of birth defect or perhaps a rare species variant.  I don’t think that birds engage in inter-species breeding like dogs do.

If you have any ideas, let us know.  We will award a prize to whoever gives an answer that the Audubon Society agrees with—-once we send it to them.  I will keep trying for a better photo.

JOE COCKER—He’s got a bird issue also:     From the score of Sleepless in Seattle.

EDITOR’S NOTE:   Thanks to Pam and Pat for figuring this out quickly.  We have a bald male cardinal.  Read their comments for details.