I’ve put the (Northern) Red Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis on my list of great American birds because he really is an American icon. With his startling coat of red, and mask of black, he’s arguably the most likely to be seen brightly colored bird… unless you live west of the Rockies that is, because then you’re only likely to see him on a holiday greeting card!
If you have a pair of red cardinals in your yard or woodland you’ll easily be able to tell the male from the female – the male is the one with the bright red suit. He is very territorial and not shy of making himself heard, especially at this time of year. Every day when I am working outside in my Kansas garden I see him perched in one tree or other and hear his whe-cheer, wheet-wheet-wheet call.
I’m afraid my little red cardinal is going to be a lonely bachelor this year. A few weeks back every time I saw him he was with another male in pursuit of a single female. The feisty female was giving her two beaus a good run-around – in and out amongst the bare branches of tall trees. I think my little guy lost the race because now every time I see him he is singing his little heart out in a tree, all by himself, with no partner in sight. Cardinals are monogamous and can live as long as 15 years. Hopefully he won’t be lonely for too long.
Take a look at the cardinal’s great, conical beak. His beak is stronger and larger than that of a sparrow and he can feed on a wide range of seeds, as well as softer foods like buds, fruits, and insects. He’ll search from the ground up for things to eat and he does well if provided with seeds in the winter, indeed he is said to have expanded his range northward due to food from garden bird feeders. When I look out my window in the depth of winter and see my little brightly colored cardinal hopping around on gloomy, cold days I always feel cheered. What do I have to complain about when he is so full of life and joy living out in the cold of my garden?
If you want yet more facts and info about the red cardinal and want to hear his call and see him in action I recommend Cardinalis cardinalis at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis photo reproduced here under a creative commons license from FlickR.
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We have a pair in our back yard. I love that they hang out where we can view them from our sliding glass doors, we can watch them all day from a fairly close distance without them paying much attention to us. Beautiful creatures.
We have at least 2 pairs and possibly 3. I’ve seen 3 females at once, but never more than 2 males at a time. We love them. They seem to get along ok with the goldfinches, the chickadees, and the woodpeckers.
Tracy, I agree, cardinals put on a great show for us. They are a source of joy to me too. They never fail to entertain!
Janet, if you turn out to have an extra female there, tell her about my little bachelor. You and I could be birdie matchmakers ;-p