This stamp is one of four that celebrates four of winter’s winged beauties: the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) and the red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus).

In the dead of winter, when trees have shed their leaves and snow has blanketed the ground, the lively sights and sounds of resident birds can be a welcome relief. For serious birders or casual nature lovers alike, spotting these beautiful creatures in backyards, parks, and forests is a treat during the year’s coldest months.

One of our most popular birds, the cardinal is the official state bird of no fewer than seven eastern states. Abundant in the Southeast, it has been extending its range northward for decades, and it now brightens winter days with its color and its whistled song as far north as southeastern Canada. Feeders stocked with sunflower seeds may have aided its northward spread. West of the Great Plains, the Cardinal is mostly absent, but it is locally common in the desert Southwest.