It is easy to see why the redbird or cardinal is North Carolina’s state bird. The males are pure majestic elegance with their red plumage, black mask, and yellow beak. These seed-eating birds have strong bills and will stick around through the winter if they have a reliable food source. If you are snowed (should we say iced) in and want to learn more about cardinals, start here. By the way, do you know how many US States claim the cardinal as their state bird?

The answer is the same as the number of days in a week and the states are: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. A little interesting trivia is that these states all form an unbroken line from Illinois to North Carolina. I’ll bet Greensboro is not the only site posting a redbird for Ruby Tuesday.