Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
information provided by Birds-I-View,Jefferson City, MO
The Northern cardinal is the official State Bird of seven states. Sometimes referred to by backyard birders as the
“Red Bird”, the Northern cardinal has been a favorite native songbird for many years. Following is some brief
statistical information on the Cardinal.
Males: The adult male cardinal has bright red plumage, and both the male and female have a “crest” on their
heads. The male Cardinal is the only native North American bird that is both red in color and has a crest.
Females: The adult female cardinal has duller plumage than the adult male, which helps to protect her on the nest.
Juveniles & Immature: Young cardinals of both sexes are duller in color than the adults and will have a black or
mottled bill, depending on their age. Adult cardinals have orange-red bills.
Life Span: Cardinals are believed to live an average of 2 – 5 years , in rare instances as long as 10 – 15 years.
Nesting Habits: The cardinal builds a bowl-shaped nest made of leaves, grasses, twigs, and rootlets. The nest is
usually concealed four to five feet up in a fork of twigs and sometimes on branches in vines, trees or bushes. They
usually average 2-3 nests per season, but are capable of as many as 5, especially if predators (snakes, hawks,
owls) get the young. In this case, the time usually spent raising the young will be replaced by courtship and starting
another nest.
EGGS: Buff White with Dark Marks/ 2 to 5 eggs per nest
Incubation: 12 – 13 days Fledge: 9 – 11 days
Parenting: Once the young cardinals leave the nest, their first flight will probably end on the ground or in low
branches or shrubs. The young birds, actually not yet capable of flying any significant distance, are protected from
predators by their dull plumage and lack of movement. “Warning Calls” from the adult cardinals signal the fledglings
not to move. As the babies age, the adults will direct them by flying over them with widespread wings, and later, by
perching nearby and calling the young to them. It takes approximately forty days after leaving the nest before the
young cardinals become fully independent of the parents. Male Cardinals take on most of the duties of feeding the
fledglings while the female starts the next brood.
Diet, Feeding Habits & Habitat: Cardinals can be attracted to your yard by providing Food, Shelter, and Water.
Cardinals prefer feeding on the ground but certainly can be coaxed to platform feeders or bird feeders with
adequate perch areas. Usually at least two inches of perch area is preferred. Their favorite foods include sunflower
seeds, with Black Oil Sunflower ranking as perhaps their favorite. Other seeds that attract cardinals include:
safflower, sunflower hearts, white proso millet, and cracked corn. During nesting season, peanut- based suet and
mealworms may be offered, as these are some of the first types of food offered to the young by the parents if it is
available. Cardinals also enjoy peanuts if offered in a feeder they can negotiate.
Their natural diet consists of insects, spiders, berries, weed seeds, and wild fruits , although they generally consume
mostly the seed of the fruit and not the pulp.
Common plants that attract cardinals:
Wild grape, Dogwood, blackberry, pokeberry, mulberry, Eastern red cedar, sumac, hackberry, sunflower, Poison ivy,
Virginia creeper.
GREAT RESOURCES for learning more about Cardinals:
Wild Bird Guides Northern Cardinal by Gary Ritchison
Bird Watcher’s Digest Booklets “Enjoying Bird Feeding more” and “Creating your Backyard Bird Garden”
Birds in Missouri by Brad Jacobs
Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman
Stokes Bird Feeder Book by Donald and Lillian Stokes
Bird Watcher’s Digest Missouri Bird Watching
Provided by: Steve & Regina Garr
Birds-I-View 573-638-BIRD(2473) www.birds-i-view.biz
