All About Northern Cardinal Song Birds...
The Northern Cardinal song birds (just cardinals to most people)
are
immediately recognized by their red plumage and pointed crest. Perhaps
their most treasured feature is... they
often stay in your garden year round.
Keep seed feeders and suet feeders full and water sources thawed
during winter months, and cardinals will flock to your garden.
Dreary winter months are no match for these sprightly red bundles of
energy. Snow and leafless branches just make them stand out more.
In fact, holiday cards often feature cardinals in a winter scene.
There's just something cheerful about these little red bundles...
making them perfect ambassadors for holiday sentiments.
Unfortunately, cardinals are not native throughout North America.
But they are welcome favorites of bird gardeners in the eastern half
of the US (plus parts of Arizona and New Mexico) and parts of Mexico
and Central America. (See the map below.) Interestingly, they have also been introduced
into California, Hawaii, and Bermuda.
Bird gardeners and birders
often talk about "their" cardinals because a cardinal usually
remains throughout its life within a 10-minute latitude-longitude
block of its natal area... where it hatched and
fledged.
Venturing further away is most often triggered by food
shortages. In which case, it may not return to its natal area if
food and water are constant in the new location, or if it pairs with another individual.
So, even if they aren't nesting in your garden, Northern
Cardinals will target your feeders and water sources all year
long... just keep everything fresh. Have a look at the articles in
the
Care of Wild Birds
section.
 The male Northern Cardinal...
-
Famous
for his bright red plumage, including a bright red, pointed crest
- Just as note-worthy is the black mask surrounding his beak and extending around his eyes
- His bill is large, conical, and also bright red
-
His back and wings are a duller red
 The female Northern Cardinal...
-
She
is anything but dull... her reddish crest, wings, and tail make her
nearly as easy to spot
- Though her bill isn't as bright, it's still red
- Her upper-parts are brownish-gray
- Her under-parts are buffy
 The immature Northern Cardinal...
-
Both
male and female juveniles look a bit like adult females... but the
red is not readily apparent
- They take on adult plumage during their first fall molt
Migratory ranges of the Northern
Cardinal...
 Cardinals are rear-round residents. Juvenile disbursement and winter
food shortages account for most ventures out of their natal
10-minute latitude/longitude block of area. And even these wanderings
are minimal.
Their habitat consists of shrubs or small trees in urban,
suburban, and
rural areas.
On the map to the right, the darker shades indicate observations of
dense populations of cardinals.
Northern Cardinal habitat and
food source...
Cardinals require plants with dense foliage for nesting, along with
conspicuous locations for song perches.
They feed on insects, seeds, and fruit.
Northern Cardinal eggs and hatchlings...
They usually lay a clutch of 2 to 5 eggs.
 The female tends the eggs during the 11 to 13
day incubation period. The male feeds the female during this time.
Both parents feed the chicks from hatching
through fledging - about 7 to 13 days. The fledglings are feed another
12 to 20 days predominantly by the male... although the female contributes until she starts
nesting for the next brood.
Acknowledgements:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/
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