He continues doing this for a number of days after the nestlings depart the nest, since the babies still can do little flying and remain relatively immobile for 10 to 12 days. Once the eggs hatch, the male takes over most of the care and provides more food to the nestlings than the female does. The female cardinal performs almost all the incubation, with the male faithfully provides food for her during this time. The female lays three or four brown-speckled eggs of grayish- or bluish-white. The Northern cardinal nest, a bowl-shaped affair made of loose twigs and grass, is built in a shrub, thicket or small tree, usually no more than 10 feet above the ground. Life in a flock can aid an individual bird in evading predators as well as in finding food, especially during times of heavy snow cover. Northern cardinals may also associate with other birds in winter, including juncos, sparrows and chickadees. Large flocks are more common in cities and towns where people offer feeding stations and have planted plenty of shrubs for cover. Such behavior may supply the female with useful information about the quality of a potential mate.ĭuring non-breeding season in cold weather, Northern cardinals often join together in flocks. The female adopts the role of a helpless fledgling, quivering her wings until the male responds by feeding her. If you watch Northern cardinals at a feeder, you are likely to witness an endearing display called courtship feeding. If this happens, it’s a good idea to temporarily cover the window so that the bird does not injure itself. During mating season, males in particular may be prone to mistake their own reflections in windows and mirrors for rival birds. A pointed crest can also indicate a cardinal’s agitation. This may be accompanied by spreading and vibrating of the wings. Northern cardinals may display territorial behavior with other birds or their own species, showing aggression by holding body and crest low while staring down an opponent with an open bill. During this time, males like to sing from a high, exposed location that will maximize the transmission of sound. The songs of the male are especially noticeable in late February and early March as days grow longer and the birds are pairing up. Both male and female cardinals produce distinctive and repetitive songs, often transcribed as “ what cheer, cheer, cheer,” and “ birdy, birdy, birdy,” and “ sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet.” ( Watch this video to learn more about Northern cardinal song.) The female, whose voice is softer than the male’s, will sometimes duet with her partner. Louder and/or more frequent chip calls can indicate aggression between two individual cardinals, or may be voiced to indicate threat from a predator. Single chips, repeated slowly, may serve as a location call between family members. One of the bird’s most frequent calls is a metallic-sounding “chip”. Northern cardinals are renowned for their singing. Adults may briefly look a bit unkempt in the fall, since they undergo a period of molting from mid-August to September that is completed sometime in October. Like other birds with red plumage, cardinals derive their red coloring from foods containing pigments called carotinoids. A youngster’s bill is black, and turns red only when he or she reaches maturity. It’s easy to differentiate a juvenile cardinal from an adult female, however, simply by examining the bird’s bill. Together with its large jaw muscles, this thick beak allows the cardinal to cut and crush hard seeds.Ī young male doesn’t gain his mature plumage before his first winter - until then, he looks much like a female. Both sexes have a heavy, cone-shaped, bright orange-red bill. The female’s bib and mask is smaller and not as dark as that of the male. The female has a brownish-olive body with a dull red coloration on her wings, tail and crest. They are also distinguished by a handsome red crest at the top of their heads. Mature males have bright red feathers with a bib and mask of black. Male and female adult Northern cardinals are similar in size, measuring about 7.5 to 8.5 inches, with males just slightly larger than females. “ In richness of plumage, elegance of motion, and strength of song, this species surpasses all its kindred.” Its common name is technically the Northern cardinal although there are seven other species of cardinals, they are all found in South America. This colorful bird’s scientific name, Cardinalis cardinalis, came about because the bird’s red plumage was reminiscent of the robes and hats of the Roman Catholic Church’s cardinals. Northern cardinals currently are found in most parts of the U.S. Once known as a primarily southern bird, today it is protected and is gradually increasing its range farther north and southwest. In the 1800s the Northern cardinal was trapped and sold in Europe as a “Virginia nightingale.” Its brilliantly colored feathers were even in demand for ladies’ hats.
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