Cardinal Molting

This Cardinal is a far cry from it's normal red. It's going through the drastic loss of feathers due due to the natural process of molting which usually lasts about five weeks. The skinny neck can be seen just below the lower beak and the skin of the Cardinal is purple as well as part of the feather.

Canon EOS 70D w/Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC lens

cropping and some minor color boost