When Illinois became a state in 1818, spotting a cardinal in the northern portion of the Land of Lincoln would have been highly unusual. It first expanded its range to northern Ohio in the 1830s.

Rare yellow cardinal spotted in Illinois backyard – a 'one-in-a-million' chance. ... There's almost no red carotenoids in the diets of cardinals or almost any other bird," Hill told USA TODAY.

As it turns out, a one-in-a-million yellow cardinal had decided to make himself at home at the Currys’ bird feeders in rural Rushville, a quiet farm community 200 miles southwest of Chicago.

The cardinal became the state bird in Ohio and Indiana in the same year — 1933. Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia followed suit in 1942, 1943, 1949 and 1950, respectively.

Research about unique cardinal revealed Date: January 29, 2015 Source: Western Illinois University Summary: A biological sciences professor is receiving attention for his research and publication ...

The cardinal pictured above is a rare ... around bird feeders for more than 40 days between December of 2008 and March of 2010 in northwestern Illinois. In that time, the bird never paired with ...