Unusual Bird: Female Cardinal has no tail feathers but seems to function normally.

I notice that the last birds at the feeder at dusk are Cardinals, so I often look for them then. Yesterday I saw the strangest sight – a bird that looked like a female Cardinal with NO TAIL FEATHERS! She was in the bushes right next to my feeders (also I broadcast some sunflower seeds on my raised deck in the winter), and she looked stubby, with what appeared a permanently raised crest and a thicker than usual beak. Normally there are 2 or 3 Cardinals at that time (often what appear to be a mated pair), but she came alone.

I’ve been enthusiastically watching birds forever, but “Stubby” is a first!