I've been enjoying the multiple calendars for Birdtober this year, because it makes me think of families and of the enormous variety of birds across the world. Taking delight in the diversity of birds is one of the things I love about birding. I have three species on my Life List with the name cardinal: the Northern Cardinal (the one you see in the US), the Yellow-billed Cardinal and the Red-crested Cardinal. The Northern Cardinal isn't related to the other two, which are found in South America, but it is related to buntings and grosbeaks. My colleague put the Cardinal Quelea on today's Uganda calendar. That's one I haven't seen before, and it's not related to any of the others I mentioned. Of course what they all have in common is that they have red on them, just like the Cardinals in the Catholic Church.
From top to bottom: Northern Cardinal, Red-crested Cardinal, Yellow-billed Cardinal, Cardinal Quelea, all photos from eBird.com
Cardinal
The Pope gives a red hat
to the Cardinals of the church
but the birds get their red topper
from a higher authority;
the birds live
and move
and have their being
in the skies.
©Ruth Bowen Hersey
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