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The beautiful deep red color of the male Northern Cardinal is a breath taking sight against a snow covered background. Cardinals do not molt into a duller color. Their gorgeous red color remains year round.

Identification: The Cardinal is a fairly large song bird with a thick bill and a prominent crest. Cardinals often sit in a “scrunched” up position with their tail straight down. Males are a brilliant red all over. Females are light brown with streaks of red in the wings, tail, and crest.

Behavior: Cardinals tend to stay low in shrubs and trees. They forage on or near the ground for food. They are common at feeders. Cardinals tend to be loners. They can be inconspicuous away from the feeders, socializing only with their own.

Habitat: Look for Cardinals in backyards, parks, wood lots, and areas with thick shrubs.

Diet: The diet of the Northern Cardinal consists mainly of weed, grains, fruits, berries, and insects. Cardinals have an interesting habit of drinking maple sap from holes left by Woodpeckers and Sapsuckers.

Nesting: Cardinals mate for life. They will often stay together throughout the year. During courtship the pair will sometimes participate in a bonding behavior where the male will collect food and feed it to the female. The female does most of the nest building. She builds a cup shaped nest out of twigs, bark, grasses, and pine needles. There are 3-4 eggs laid in each clutch. Incubation takes 12-13 days. The chicks fledge 10-11 days after hatching. Nesting is a quick turn around for most pairs. The male will feed and care for the young as the female incubates the next clutch of eggs.

Backyard Tips: In my yard I don’t have to do much to attract Cardinals. I have tons of them year round. They remain in my yard whether the feeders are filled or not. If you’re having trouble getting Cardinals to stay in your yard I’ve discovered that they love safflower seeds. Safflower seeds can be purchased by themselves, or can be found in a good seed mix. They also will readily come to a feeder filled with black oil sunflower seeds. On occasion I have seen them going to the suet basket. In particular if the suet contains dried berries.