Front:
Cardinal
30
AURORA
JUN
CO
22
1991
80010
Belke)
Back:
CARDINAL
First Day of Issue: June 22, 1991
First Issue Location: Aurora, Colorado
The cardinal is common to North and South America but
maintains a decided preference for the temperate regions
of the midwestern and eastern United States. While both
the male and female possess a distinctive crest, the male
jauntily sports the deep crimson feathers and black-
ringed beak associated with the species, while her dun-
colored mantle provides camouflage for brooding. The
female builds her cup-shaped nest in bushes or hedges
close to houses, and lays from two to five eggs. Two weeks
later the downy young hatch, and within nine days they
are on their own. Within a year the juveniles are able to
sing, warbling the flute-like, descending song which
characterizes the species. The design on this Maximum
Card features a colorful cardinal perched amid springtime
blossoms and perfectly complements the cheery cardinal
depicted on the stamp issued by the United States Postal
Service. Together the stamp and design celebrate one of
ornithology's most charming songsters — the cardinal.
No. 91-46
©1991 The Maximum Card Collection
A division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Don Balke
