Youngsters
get to know the young hero and the adventures
that carry him toward manhood. As they come to know Jeremiah as a friend who would
understand their own growing pains, they look forward to each book in the
series.
Teachers
will Achieve..
Teachers will appreciate the ways
that Jeremiah Stokely novels, kits, and activities make literature
meaningful to children. Teachers can download free classroom idea
packets to hold a hand-on workshop based on each book.
Click the >Play button
to listen to the bird's song!
Northern
Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Length 8¾ in., wingspan 12
in., Family Emberizidae
One of the most recognizable
birds in the world, the cardinal’s red plumage is a welcome sight both
summer and winter in the eastern portion of the U.S. Its range reaches
westward to South Dakota (but not North Dakota) and south to Texas and
Mexico.
Both male and female cardinals
have a large crest and a stout, triangular, red-orange beak. Females and
juveniles are drabber, olive-brown with shades of red in crest, wings and
tail. Males have a black mask.
Cardinals do not migrate. They
are aggressive and territorial. They live in woodland edges, brushy swamps,
and gardens. In a thicket of trees, they build a bulky, deep nest of twigs,
roots, and bark and line it with grass. The eggs are pale green spotted with
red-brown, three or four to a brood. Seeds make up most of their diet,
although insects are also eaten during breeding season. Cardinals will come
to backyard feeders all day, every day, especially if sunflower seeds are
offered.
The Northern Cardinal has
several songs: “purty-purty-purty,” “what-cheer,” and “sweet-sweet-sweet.”
Sitting in a bush or at a feeder, it often repeats a short, metallic “chip.”
Unlike most songbirds, both males and females sing, and they sing all year,
not just in spring.
The cardinal got its name from
its resemblance to the red robes of Roman Catholic cardinals. In 1926, it
became the first bird to be given official state recognition when it was
named the state bird of Kentucky. It is now the official bird of seven
states, including Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana and both Virginias.
