Often in the bird world males and females look quite different (called sexual dimorphism) from on another. As a general rule, the males are more brightly colored and more intricately patterned. People usually consider the males the more attractive of the two in these cases. This is definitely true for the northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). Males are a brilliant red with a black mask while females tend to be more of a reddish brown with a much smaller and less distinct mask. In the right light, though, I find the females to be every bit as pretty as the males and sometimes prettier. The gorgeous lady in the photo above is a prime example of this. She was perched on a branch in the sun in the green spring woods. The light made her feathers just shine and really brought out all the subtile details of both her feathers and her color dynamics. Her pose also just radiated self confidence and self assurance. To me, that just added to her beauty. It’s moments like these that originally attracted me to nature in general and to wildlife and wildlife art specifically.