How to Draw a Cardinal Bird. The northern cardinal, also called the red bird, is a common sight at bird feeders throughout North America. Due to the abundance of sunflower seeds available in garden feeders, the cardinal has expanded its range in recent years. Setting up a bird feeder is easy; Cardinals are beautiful to watch. A lovely fact about cardinals is that they mate to run. Pairs generally stay within earshot of each other's calls. Cardinal pairs can raise four chicks a year and have been known to mourn a deceased pair. Cardinals frequently figure in the artwork. Dishes and decorations for the holiday season often feature red birds nestled among snowy evergreen branches. Many sports teams use the cardinal as a mascot, most notably the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. It is even the accepted state bird in seven forms: West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia. Also read: Words from x

Would you like to draw a cardinal?

Doing so is easy with the help of this simple step-by-step drawing tutorial. You will need a pencil, a sheet of paper, and an eraser. You can also use markers, colored pencils, or crayons to shade the finished drawing.

Step-by-step instructions for drawing a cardinal bird.

Step 1

Start by drawing a circle. This will outline the bird's head.

Step 2

Below the leader, draw an elliptical balanced to one side. This starts with the body of the bird. e words

Step 3

Draw a short, curved line to join the body and the chair. On the opposite side, draw a long, curved line almost reaching the oval's bottom. Forming a point, bend the line back to cross over into the oval. This forms the bird's wing.

Step 4

Open another long line and curve down from the floor of the oval. Let it fold back on itself in the shape of the letter "J." Draw another long, curved line down from the wing and connect it to the bottom of the "J." This forms the bird's tail.

steps 5

Erase guide lines as needed.

steps 6

Draw a "U" shaped line at the base of the tail to form the top of the bird's leg. Extend two parallel curved lines to form the lower part of the leg. Then a series of short, connected curved lines close the toes. Draw two small curved triangles that extend from the bird's stomach to the opposite leg.

step 7

Use a short, curved line to support the branch's top farthest from the bird.  Use four curved lines to enclose the peak, an irregular diamond shape, and another line to indicate the split in the peak. 

step 8

Erase guide lines as needed.

step 9

Draw a coil inside a ring to institute the look and tone between the two. Use curved lines to enclose the patch around the peak. Cover the belly and seat with curved bars. Draw a set of curved lines that pass behind the bird's legs, giving it a twig to perch on. Draw a circular shape with a spiral inside to enclose the end of the stick.

steps 10

Colour your cardinal. Males of this species have bright red feathers and bills, with a black patch around the bill. Females are brown with tints of red. Others, like the Pyrrhuloxia or the desert cardinal, are grey with red features.