"Angry Birds" flew back to the theaters on August 16, 2019, attracting many fans worldwide. Among all the "angry birds," the angriest – Red, is most loved. Everyone is amused by the irritable, short-tempered, yet adorable creature. If you don't know the real-life bird the character is based on, check it out now!

The real-life "Red" – the northern cardinal, is quite the opposite of the movie character. The little songbird looks just as red as in the movie, but its temper is much milder. Male northern cardinals treat their mates really nice. They even feed females beak to beak during courtship. Northern cardinals' love life is pretty romantic: Males sing to pay court to females. Once a pair of northern cardinals "marry" each other, they mate for life and stay together year-round. The couple builds a nest and cares for broods together. Male northern cardinals are responsible fathers.

As songbirds, male northern cardinals use songs to mark their territories. They become as angry as Red when they see other males invading. Sometimes they even mistake their own images on reflective surfaces as intruding males and fight the reflections relentlessly.

Northern cardinals are quite common in North America. Due to their bright color and distinctive song, they were once prized as popular pets. According to current laws, it is illegal to sell a northern cardinal or keep it as a caged bird. People still love them even though they cannot keep them as pets anymore. The northern cardinal is the mascot of numerous athletic teams in the U.S. It is the state bird of as many as seven states, more than any other species.

(Cover image via VCG）

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