Few birds are as closely associated with Georgia backyards as the Northern Cardinal. Their clear whistles ring through neighborhoods in Atlanta, echo across pine forests in the Coastal Plain, and drift through quiet gardens from the Blue Ridge foothills to the salt marshes near the Atlantic coast. Because the brilliant red male is so eye-catching, many people automatically assume he is responsible for every beautiful song they hear.
That assumption is surprisingly wrong.
The soft brown female Northern Cardinal sings too, and she sings much more often than most people realize. Her voice is rich, melodic, and remarkably similar to that of the male. Unless you actually see the bird producing the song, it is often impossible to know which cardinal is singing…