Female birds are pretty too! :)

[Thomas Finnie]

Much is said about the brilliant red plumage of the male Cardinal. The female Cardinal's sharp crest and red accents make her a strikingly pretty bird in her own way.

Nikon D300 - 400mm f2.8 - AF-C - Dynamic 9 pts - f 7.1 - 1/200 sec - 0 EV - ISO 200 -

http://i49.tinypic.com/2ia53qb.jpg (http://i49.tinypic.com/2ia53qb.jpg)

[D. Robert Franz]

Lovely portrait. Nice lighting and comp.. Yes female Cardinals are striking as well.....

[Tony Whitehead]

Nice and sharp and the colours work well against the dark grey BG.

[John Chardine]

Lovely, warmly lit portrait. Sharp where it counts. For me, the head turn away detracts a little. The BG is nice but I see some evidence of posterisation.