Marie Read / Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) male perched amid snow-covered branches, New York, USA, February.

Gabriel Rojo / Greyish saltator (Saltator coerulescens). Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Karine Aigner / Painted bunting (Passerina ciris) male singing, perched in tree amongst yellow flowers. Texas, USA. April.

John Shaw / Yellow-billed cardinal (Paroaria capitata). Pantanal, Brazil, September.

Marie Read / Western tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), male perched on aspen branch in spring, Mono Lake Basin, California, USA, May.

Marie Read / Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) female perched amid berries and seedheads with falling snow, New York, USA. November. Non-ex.

Marie Read / Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) male in breeding plumage perched in Crabapple (Malus sp.) blossom in spring, Ithaca, New York, USA , May.

Karine Aigner / Portrait of a Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) female with white background, Block island, Rhode Island, USA. Bird caught during scientific research.

Mary McDonald / Painted bunting (Passerina ciris) at a watering hole, Texas, USA. June.

Nick Hawkins / Flame coloured tanager (Piranga bidentata) Talamanca Range, Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, Costa Rica.

George Sanker / Western tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) perched, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA, June.

George Sanker / Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA, June.