<Li> <P> - Female Juvenile - Manhasset, NY </P> </Li> <P> - Female Juvenile - Manhasset, NY </P> <P> The northern cardinal is found in residential areas throughout its range . Backyard birders attract it using feeders containing seeds, particularly sunflower seeds and safflower seeds . Although some controversy surrounds bird feeding, an increase in backyard feeding by humans has generally been beneficial to this species . It is listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN Red List, with an estimated global range of 5,800,000 km (2,200,000 sq mi) and a global population of some 100 million . Populations appear to remain stable and not threatened to reach the threshold of inclusion as a threatened species, which requires a decline of more than 30% in ten years or three generations . It was once prized as a pet due to its bright color and distinctive song . In the United States, this species receives special legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which also banned their sale as cage birds . It is also protected by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in Canada . It is illegal to take, kill, or possess northern cardinals, and violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to US $15,000 and imprisonment of up to six months . </P> <P> In the United States, the northern cardinal is the mascot of numerous athletic teams; however, most teams portray the bird with a yellow beak and legs . In professional sports, it is the mascot of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball's National League and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League . In college athletics, it is the mascot of many schools including Ball State University, The Catholic University of America, Illinois State University, Iowa State University, Lamar University, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, North Idaho College, Saint John Fisher College, the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, the University of Louisville, the University of the Incarnate Word, Wesleyan University, and Wheeling Jesuit University . </P>

Is it illegal to kill a cardinal in north carolina