In the United States and Canada there are many birds colored primarily yellow and black. This is a common color pattern of several species of finches, tanagers, orioles, meadowlarks and warblers.

but this patterning is very limited in northern birds. Adult: red head and breast, pale yellow belly, back black with geographically variable yellow-­buff to white barring on the sides of the ...

The handsome black-headed grosbeak ... the wing linings are yellow in both sexes. Polytypic (the 2 North American subspecies are poorly differentiated; the coastal birds have shorter wings ...

Scientists say the yellow coloring on the bird is connected to lacking proteins, or enzymes. “It’s actually two enzymes. It requires a two-step process for a cardinal to be red,” Hill said.