I went on a extemporaneous bird outing today. Luckily, I had my field glasses, and bird guide in my backpack. I saw Chickadees, Cardinals, a Warbler with some yellow, a Blister Beetle, a couple of black snakes, a big green frog, a Yellow Jacket queen, and then the Tanager. When I saw it, I almost fell over. It is the most BEAUTIFUL bird I have ever seen! I actually said "Oh My God!"
What a day! I need to get a better camera with decent magnification (note to myself, put this on my list). I could not get a photo. It just showed up as a tiny red dot, in a field of green. Anyways, look these fellows up online if you are interested. I wonder why nature makes such beauty, sometimes. Being this brightly colored must be a sign of strength, as they certainly would stand out to predators.
They have somewhat recently been moved into the Cardinal family. I just found that out from Google, and I find that interesting. I was just thinking when I saw it, that it was far more strikingly beautiful, than a Cardinal. It turned out to be the Cardinal's cousin.
I made the above card using a photo from Wiki Commons.