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How do a pair of cardinals sing a duet to one song?

There is a bird in America that will make you stop in your tracks when you see it. The male cardinal is bright red, like a ripe tomato, with a black "mask" around his eyes and a sharp crest. The female is more modest, in soft beige-brown tones with reddish hues. But the most amazing thing about cardinals is not their appearance, but their singing.

Scientists have noticed a strange thing. You listen to a cardinal - a melody sounds. And then you hear the same melody, but from a different bush. And suddenly you realize: it's not one bird! The male sings the first half of the song, and the female - the second. Like two musicians playing one melody!

This is called a "duet." And the cardinal is one of the few birds in North America where the females also sing loudly. In most bird species, the females are quieter. And a pair of cardinals will say to each other, "I'm here!" — "And I'm here, honey!" — to the whole neighborhood.

Why do they sing together? First, to avoid getting lost in the bushes. Second, to warn other cardinals: «This territory is ours!» And third, it is their love language. Researchers have counted more than 12 different «songs» in cardinals!

Why is the male so red? It's from carotenoids, substances from the berries he eats. The brighter the cardinal, the healthier and more satiated he is. The females choose the reddest ones - like we choose the ripest fruit.

Cardinals don't fly away for the winter. They stay home, even when it snows. Imagine a picture: a white winter, and on a branch - a burning red lump with a song. That's why the cardinal is a favorite symbol of the winter holidays in America.