Northern Cardinal

Photo by George Wall

One of the most quickly recognizable birds to identify by both sight and sound is the Northern Cardinal. It is a real treat to walk out into my backyard and watch one of these birds in all its color.

Description: The male is all red with a black face, red to orange-yellow beak and a red crest. The female looks about the same except she is a drab buffy to brown color.

Habitat:  It likes woods, shrubs, gardens and brushy desert areas.

Nesting:  They are monogamous and usually bonded for life. The female builds a cup nest in a well-concealed spot in dense shrub or a low tree three to ten feet off the ground. The nest is made of thin twigs, bark strips, and grasses, lined with grasses. They have 3-4 eggs that are grayish, bluish or greenish white marked with brown, gray or purple splotches. Two-four clutches are produced each year. The female broods. It’s a shame, but cowbirds like to use their nests for their own eggs.

Diet:   They are mainly a ground feeder forage for seeds. They’ll eat fruit especially during the winter and some ground insects.

Range: It is found from southern Canada through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico to northern Guatemala and Belize and west to Arizona.

Interesting Facts:  
It got the first part of its name “Northern” because it is the only cardinal found in the Northern Hemisphere. “Cardinal” refers to Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven different states.