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All About Northern Cardinal Song Birds...

by Susan Nelson Hopkins

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. 

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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