The Brazilian cardinal in the cold

The observation

Hunn, whose address was given as 1218 Prospect Avenue, said the Brazilian cardinal bathed in a cold brook and then sang in a nearby tree. Because the tropical species does not naturally range that far north, he regarded it as an escaped captive and thought its condition suggested it may have survived outside for months.

As a comparison, Hunn recalled a Baltimore oriole that had spent the previous winter at Watchung using William Fish’s feeding station. A cat killed that bird on February 21. Hunn argued that reliable food could enable supposedly delicate birds to endure severe cold.