A lot of birds we feature are rare or bizarre, but sometimes it's nice to appreciate the more common species that are also beautiful.
Of course, "common" is relative depending on where you live in the world. For example, there's always one or two bright red cardinals making their home in my back garden each year. To me, they are just another local bird, but for someone else, they're amazing and rare.
It's called the Red-billed Firefinch, or the Senegal Firefinch. Like the name implies, their red coloring even extends to their beaks, though their under-tail and wings fade towards a dusky brown.
Females have a pinkish-red patch between their eyes, a pink beak, and a bit of pink above their tail. The rest of their feathers are a warm golden brown.
In fact, many bird lovers turn to these firefinches due to how closely their coloring resembles the Northern Cardinal. In many places, keeping cardinals as pets is banned, so these guys are as close as aviary birds can get.
h/t: eBird, That Bird Blog
