Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
The classic red cardinal, namesake of our local baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds! The male Northern Cardinal is easily recognized by its bright, red plummage and it can often be seen forraging on the ground for food — assuming a bird feeder loaded with sunflower seeds isn't nearby, of course! As an added bonus, we have a recording of the cardinal's song, which you can hear below (courtesy of NoiseAddicts.com):
Feeding: The Northern Cardinal has a varied diet, consisting of seeds, insects and berries. In fact, you could say the Northern Cardinal has a well-balanced diet: it eats mostly vegetable matter rather than protein-rich insects. Young on the other hand are fed insects almost exclusively.
Parenting: Males sing to defend their nesting territory and willingly attack other males (or even their own reflections). Nests are always hidden in dense shrubs, and are built by the female in the form of an open cup of twigs, grass and other materials such as animal hair. Three to four eggs are common, white to blueish or greenish white with gray spots. Both the male and female parent feed the young, who leave their nest after 9-11 days. Males often take over feeding responsibilities toward the end of the nesting period to allow females to concentrate on a new brood. Northern Cardinals typically manage 2-3 broods per year, though a fourth may occur if weather conditions permit.
When Can I See It? The Northern Cardinal is visible year-round in our area. More information is visible in our Sighting Table.
Information courtesy of The Audobon Society. Photo courtesy of The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.