Perching Birds
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis
cardinalis
Description
8-9" (20-23 cm). Male bright red with
crest, black face, stout red bill. Female buff-brown tinged with red
on crest, wings, and tail.
Voice
Rich what-cheer, cheer, cheer;
purty-purty-purty-purty or sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet. Also a metallic
chip.
Habitat
Woodland edges, thickets, brushy swamps,
and gardens.
Nesting
3 or 4 pale green eggs, spotted with
red-brown, in a deep cup of twigs, leaves, and plant fibers
concealed in a thicket.
Range
Resident in eastern United States and
southern Canada (locally) south to Gulf Coast, and from southern
California, Arizona, and southern Texas southward.
Discussion
This species, named after the red
robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals, has extended its range
northward into southern Canada in recent decades. Cardinals are
aggressive birds that occupy territories year-round. Both sexes are
accomplished songsters and may be heard at any time of year, rather
than just in the spring when most other birds are singing. Seeds
form a main part of the diet, although insects are eaten in the
breeding season. These birds often come to feeders in
winter.
Perching Birds