The Ultimate Guide to Cardinals

by Jenna Smith June 1, 2021

The cardinal is the loveliest bird in the world, but it is hard to find one still. Cardinals are shy and not aggressive. The following cardinal bird guide will help you to understand the cardinal.

Characteristics
One common characteristic of the cardinal is that the males are bright red in color having a crest on their head and have black feathers on their faces, and have a short, and orange beak.

Some cardinals are yellow, but their sightings are rare. While you can identify cardinals by their colors, only the male has the colors that are described above. The female cardinal possesses pale brown feathers and their tails tips, wings, crests have a reddish hue.

Yellow cardinals have canary-yellow bodies having brownish wings, a black mask, and a light orange beak. Female cardinals that are yellow contain white facial stripes, gray or brown breasts, and bodies, having yellow bellies.

Where cardinals live
As the climate is changing so cardinals have also expanded their habitat. Several years before, they were present in the southeastern part of the US. As temperatures are getting increased now, they also expanding their habitat.

Cardinals are found in the southeastern of the US but you can find them on the eastern coastline into Canada and also in the central US. They can be seen also in the south of Mexico.

They build their nests in or out of bird houses where they are hidden from predators but you can see them in trees, along with forest lines, bushes, marshy areas, and fields. Cardinals sit on high perches.

Conservation
Cardinals aren’t considered threatened but they face different hazards, like attacks by outdoor cats, chemicals, window collisions, and others. Because these birds since visit bird feeders, therefore the cardinal’s range is expanding.

Many homeowners provide supplemental food in the winter, which lets cardinals live in less hospitable locations during the whole year.

Diet
Cardinals are Omnivores and forage while hopping on the ground, but you may be wondering - "what do cardinals eat"? The diet for a cardinal contains fruit, seeds, grains. This diet is supplemented with insects that are the key source of food fed to their nestlings.

Their favorite insects are ants, butterflies, crickets, leafhoppers, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, centipedes, katydids, cicadas, flies, spiders, moths, snails. During the winter months, they rely on the seeds, with their black oil sunflower seeds as well as safflower seeds.

Their favorite foods are dogwood, buckwheat, mulberry, blackberry, grasses, sedges, corn, wild grape, hackberry, sumac, tulip-tree. Blueberry, mulberry, blackberry plants are the best plant as they become food sources and shelter because of their thickets.

Cardinals consume grapes and dogwood berries to maintain their appearances. During the digestive procedure, fruit pigments enter the bloodstream and go to feather follicles or crystalize. If a cardinal cannot berries, its hue will start to fade gradually.

Mating Habits
Cardinals mate in the early spring and the season can last till September. They’re monogamous but sometimes will mate with others.

An estimated 75% of cardinals are born to monogamous parents. In order to attract a female partner, a male do all to get the female attention. Mate feeding and courtship can be seen through partner selection.

What’s mate feeding? Unlike when a mother feeds a baby, the male doesn’t put food into the female mouth. Male cardinals will take food and then they will place it near the female feet.

Females pick the male partner based on his courtship skills, coloring, singing capabilities. Females need a male who has a dark, large face mask as males are good defenders of the nest.

Once a mate is selected, the female will find a nesting place. Nesting is hidden in vines, shrubs, trees. If they nest in a tree, they’ll select from different options, they don’t stick to one tree.

Nests contain twigs, stems, leaves, grasses, pine needles. While the female makes the nest, but males sometimes also help by bringing nesting materials and stuff to the female.

Nests are made using 4 layers. The 1st layer is a grouping of twigs. The 2nd layer is a coating of softer leaves. After that, the 3rd layer is made of bark. Finally, the 4th layer contains other materials (softer leaves, pine needles, grasses).

Once the nest is made, a female lays up to 5 eggs and up to twice per mating season. The eggs are greenish-white with ale speckles, grayish-white, and plain white. After laying the eggs, the female incubates them for about 13 days.

When the female incubates eggs, the males will look after the female as well as the nest. They become territorial and will dive-bomb any intruders, even people. and that’s how they got their “Angry Bird” name from. Fledgling cardinals hatch from the eggs naked.

If they have any feathers, they’ll be light grey and will be sparse. After a week or 2, the baby birds learn to fly. When the female leaves the nest, she will call her mate by song. Once the male hears this song, he will take care of the nest unless the female will get back.

Cardinals are attracted to the right feeder that is full of bird food. They’re the first birds you’ll see at the feeder in the morning and the last to leave in the evening.

Large Cardinal Bird Feeders
When you are selecting a cardinal bird feeder, make sure that cardinals will have a strong place to perch. Small feeders are not a better option for these birds.

Cardinals are heavier than other backyard birds and look for sure footing when they’re feeding and nesting.

• Cardinals are comfortable on a hopper or platform feeder. You can frequently find them eating seeds dropped from a dainty small bird feeder above.

• If you have a squirrel-proof feeder, ensure the spring of the feeder is put on a setting that still lets cardinal birds get to the birdseed.

• Hang the cute bird feeders where it is easy for you to re-fill. If you allow the feeders to be empty too long, cardinals may search for consistent food somewhere else.

Cardinal Bird Nests
In several areas, cardinals stay around in the winter, adding colors as well as the sweet sound of music to your backyard. Natural plantings may give them shelter in the winter and offer a food source.

When the shelter is considered and making their nests, cardinals are private birds.

They find areas that are dense with growth, such as evergreen trees and thick shrubs. Due to their bright colors maybe, cardinals make their homes inside greenery. If you want to attract Cardinals to your yard, then we have compiled the tips below to help these lovely birds find your feeders.

Pick the Right Bird Feeder
Cardinals are medium-sized birds. Little feeders or tube feeders aren’t a great fit for them. Cardinals visit a feeder that they feel secure on. Their weight is heavier so they prefer standing feeders as compared to hanging feeders.

You should make sure that there’s a perch and a tall sufficient area for the Cardinals to land as well as eat.

Use the Right Seed
Cardinals eat different foods. They are not picky. They eat birdseed with insects and choose fruits. Natural attractive fruits for them are blueberry bushes, dark-colored berries.

Create a Welcoming Environment
Cardinals must feel secure, and it is done by providing natural shelter. Plant shrubs, trees, and bushes offer natural hiding and nesting places for these birds.

Another tip for making a great environment is to put seeds on the ground below a feeder. Doing this thing will help the Cardinals to fly overhead and find the feeder in the yard.

Offer Running Water
It’s important to provide all resources for wild birds in your yard. Cardinals find running water, particularly in the winter months. Since Cardinals don’t migrate, make your yard a resource for them all year long.

10 facts about cardinals

• Cardinals are non-migratory birds that are attracted to bird homes or feeders particularly those who have the best food supply.

• They gather in large flocks of 70 birds during wintertime and nest in bushy thickets.

• When the female sings from the nest, it is a sign to the male that she needs food.

• Both male and female cardinals sing but the female sings long and in a complicated melody.

• They are given the name cardinal as the red color of the male species is the same as the vestments utilized by Catholic cardinals.

• The male cardinal is the defender of their nesting territory. Actually, they can spend many hours fighting his reflection when he sees on glass surfaces. The red cardinal males prefer territories in thick vegetation, they feed fast and are successful in reproducing.

• The young cardinals go hungry as they will defecate after every feeding. After defecating, the parent bird takes care of the fecal sac and hide its place from predators.

• The cardinal is known as the red bird with a crest in the US.

• Cardinals are the favorite backyard birds in North America because they visit backyards often with feeders and bird homes.

• These birds show sweetness particularly when mate feeding. During this time, the male feeds the female by putting the food into its bill of mate as if they are kissing each other.

Cardinals are a beautiful bird that cardinal bird watchers love to spoil in their backyard bird gardens and you'll love having some around as well!