A cardinal perched upon a branch, the branches in the background flank the the bird visually. Deep greens in the background suggest thick foliage. The pattern of the background greens and their slanted direction suggest movement, vague outlines contribute to that feeling, unlike the bird itself, whose commanding presence is at once still and striking. the main branch is of a rough quality, the bark of which is peeling and weathered, in contrast to the smooth down of the cardinal.
The cardinal's tail and back lean slightly to the left, while the head points down and to the right, guiding the eye towards the curved branch on that side, which then leads the eye down to the foreground branch, upon which the bird rests, completing a circle.