The Cardinal, Virginia's State Bird

[Wahoo]

The cardinal is the state bird of Virginia, right? Beautiful birds. Males have a distinctive bright red plumage, and females have relatively drab gray feathers, but notably a male and female pair of cardinals bond for life. I've watched countless times as cardinals come to the bird-feeder on my deck and the female waits while the male brings sunflower seeds from my bird-feeder to the female and transfers the seed from his beak to hers.

"How touching," I've thought. "Just give it a couple of years...[for the romance to turn to mutual loathing and contempt, like happens with the human species.]"

Anyway, I was watching this unique courting ritual take place this evening after I'd replenished the hulled sunflower seeds in my bird-feeder, only it was two drab gray cardinals...two females? With one lovingly bringing and tranferring the seeds beak to beak with the other? What's that all about?

[ECO]

How cute, you have some lesbian birds. I know swans breed for life as well but I seldom see one alone, maybe birds just take on a life partner after their spouse dies?

[Wahoo]

Well, more power to them, whatever the color of they feathers. If there were more of that kind of fidelity, this world would be a better place. Speaking of which, I'm still waiting for GG to holler back about that lifestyle vacation on Jamaica's south coast...

[Wahoo]

Lesbian swans, I can understand. But lesbian cardinals? What's next...lesbian American Bald Eagles?

[ECO]

I don't think hawks and eagles hang around together unless they are making babies.

[Nanoose]

The cardinal is the state bird of Virginia, right? Beautiful birds. Males have a distinctive bright red plumage, and females have relatively drab gray feathers, but notably a male and female pair of cardinals bond for life. I've watched countless times as cardinals come to the bird-feeder on my deck and the female waits while the male brings sunflower seeds from my bird-feeder to the female and transfers the seed from his beak to hers.

"How touching," I've thought. "Just give it a couple of years...[for the romance to turn to mutual loathing and contempt, like happens with the human species.]"

Anyway, I was watching this unique courting ritual take place this evening after I'd replenished the hulled sunflower seeds in my bird-feeder, only it was two drab gray cardinals...two females? With one lovingly bringing and tranferring the seeds beak to beak with the other? What's that all about?

Not sure what it’s about but I am seeing more same sex relation ships in birds and it is always been 2 females – maybe the males are dying off because of pollutions or fighting to the death over territory. Something is changing in the bird kingdom but I don’t know what or why. Cheers!