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A Beginners Guide to Cardinals

The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. The male is bright red, hence the nickname "Redbird". Cardinals almost always come in pairs, meaning if you see a male, the female will usually be nearby, and vice versa. The Cardinal is a medium-sized bird, measuring approximately eight and a half inches in length. Banding studies show that Cardinals can live up to 15 years in the wild

Males are bright, deep red with a black mask on the face. Both sexes have distinctive crest atop their head and a thick, pointed bill, which begins black as a fledgling and then turns a reddish orange color. Females are lighter tones. The adult female is buff-brown with a red tinge to the crest, wings and tail and an orange bill. The female lacks the black mask donned by the male, but parts of the face may be dark.

Cardinals have a very distinct and beautiful call of whistled notes that are often described as sounding like 'cheer-cheer-cheer' or 'purty-purty-purty. This call is sung by both sexes and can be heard year round. The male sings in a loud clear whistle from a tree top to defend his territory. The Northern Cardinal can be an aggressive and territorial bird; it has even been known to attack its own reflection. The female usually sings after the male establishes his territory but before nesting starts The pair sometimes sing together before nesting.

Displays:
Male and female with outstretched necks and erect crests sway bodies from side to side while singing softly.

Diet:
They eat mostly seeds, fruits, grains and insects. Cardinals love sunflower seeds, and are commonly encouraged to live near houses by people placing sunflower seed feeders in their yards. To attract Cardinals to your yard it is important to have a lot of plants, vines and shrubs, such as American Bittersweet, Raspberry, Sumac, Conifers, American arborvitae, and Hawthorn to name just a few. They are also very attracted to fruit. You should also provide water for bathing and drinking which will also encourage them to start nesting in your yard.

Habitat:
Their natural habitats are woodland edges, brushy undergrowth, thickets, suburbs, gardens, swamps, hedgerows, desert washes and in vegetation around houses. Cardinals are generally attracted to a wide range of plants, both for cover and for food.

Nesting Behavior:
The female builds a cup nest of small twigs, weed stems, bark strips, grass and rootlets, with leaves and paper interwoven in a well concealed spot in a dense shrub, a brushy tangle or a low tree. From 3 to 4 eggs, incubated by the female, with help from the male, hatch in just under two weeks. Both parents tend and feed the young. The young leave the nest after 9-10 days. Two, three or four broods may be raised in a breeding season. The male will tend the brood while the female starts the next brood.

Range:
Cardinals are abundant across most of the eastern USA, parts of southeastern Canada, and south through Mexico to Belize. It has also been introduced to Hawaii, California and Bermuda. Cardinals are nonmigratory and are permanent residents throughout their range but some movement does occur in the later summer and fall. They may relocate to avoid extreme weather or if food is scarce. Their populations are increasing, and their range is expanding northward and westward. There can be little doubt that the popularity of backyard bird feeding is contributing to the population and range increases of this species.