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Tom Grey | profile | all galleries >> Birds -- Sequences >> Male Cardinal eyes Female Pyrrhuloxia and suffers consequences, March 2011 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Male Cardinal eyes Female Pyrrhuloxia and suffers consequences, March 2011

The birds look to be playing out a domestic drama, see the captions to the individual pictures. Actually the dramatic poses may just be a byproduct of the birds' up-and-down drinking motion. Most birds (doves are an exception) can't suck in water, so can't drink with their heads down; each swallow requires filling the mouth and then raising the head to let gravity get it down the throat.
Northern Cardinal, male, and Pyrrhuloxia, female
Northern Cardinal, male, and Pyrrhuloxia, female
Northern Cardinal, male, and Pyrrhuloxia, female
Northern Cardinal, male, and Pyrrhuloxia, female
Northern Cardinals, pair
Northern Cardinals, pair