Northern cardinals bring splashes of vivid color to the grays and browns of a winter garden. Thanks to the increasing popularity of backyard bird feeders, these once rare (to New England) birds have become common year-round residents in Massachusetts over the past fifty years.

Identifying the male northern cardinal is easy thanks to his rose-red plumage, pointed crest, and black mask. The female cardinal can be trickier, though, with her more subdued fashion sense consisting of pale tan and brown with a few rosy accents on the crest, wing, and tail. Both sexes, however, have the same powerful, bright orange beak which they use to crack open stubborn seeds and slice open sugary fruits to help them survive the coldest months of the year.

Keep your feeders full of seed and you can likely delight in the colorful crimson hues of cardinals all fall and winter long! Here are five photos of cardinals from our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest that should help you identify these beautiful birds.

Male Northern Cardinal © Judith Keneman

Female Northern Cardinal © Richard Antinarelli

Male Northern Cardinal © Johanna Wray

Female Northern Cardinal © Debbie Dineen

Male Northern Cardinal © Nathan Butler