Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis): Facts and Habitat

Appearance

The adult male is unmistakable: bright crimson almost all over, slightly duller on the back and wings, with a tall pointed crest, a black mask around the red-orange bill and a black patch on the throat. The color comes from carotenoid pigments in the food the bird eats, as explained in why are cardinals red?

The female is warm buff-brown with reddish tinges on the wings, tail and crest, a grayish face mask and the same bright coral-red bill. She is subtle but beautiful, and she is often overlooked. Read our full guide to what female cardinals look like.

Young cardinals resemble the female but are browner and have a dark gray-black bill. Over their first fall they molt into adult plumage, and young males can look patchy red and brown for a few weeks.

Rare color variants exist, including “yellow cardinals,” which lack the ability to convert yellow pigments into red, and very rare bilateral gynandromorphs, birds that are half male and half female with one red side and one brown side.

Size

The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird, a little smaller than an American robin.

Males average slightly larger than females. The thick, cone-shaped bill is short and strong, built for cracking seeds.

Habitat and range

Northern cardinals live in places with dense shrubs and some open ground: woodland edges, thickets, overgrown fields, hedgerows, swamps and riverside woods, and, very commonly, parks and suburban gardens. They avoid the interior of large, unbroken forests.

The species is found across the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota and south to the Gulf Coast and Florida, west to Texas, and in the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona and southeastern California. In Canada it lives in southern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces. To the south, its range continues through Mexico to the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize and northern Guatemala. Cardinals were introduced to Hawaii in 1929 and are now common on the main islands, and they were also introduced to Bermuda.

The cardinal’s range has shifted northward dramatically. In the early 1900s it was rare in New England, but it spread steadily north through the 20th century. Biologists link the expansion to suburban gardens full of shrubs, more bird feeders and milder winters. For other common yard birds of the region, see our guide to backyard birds of Ohio.

Diet and feeding

Cardinals are mainly seed and fruit eaters. Seeds, grains and fruit make up most of an adult’s diet, including weed seeds, wild grapes, dogwood berries, sumac, corn and sunflower seeds. They also eat insects and other small invertebrates, such as beetles, cicadas, grasshoppers, caterpillars and snails, especially during the breeding season.

Cardinals usually feed on or near the ground, hopping through leaf litter and low shrubs. Their heavy bills crush seeds with ease: a cardinal rolls a seed in its bill, cracks the shell, and swallows the kernel. Nestlings are fed almost entirely on insects, which provide the protein they need to grow quickly.

Behavior and song

Northern cardinals are territorial in the breeding season. The male sings from a high perch to advertise his territory and chases rival males away. This territorial drive is so strong that cardinals often attack their own reflections in windows and car mirrors, a behavior explained in why do cardinals attack windows?

The song is a series of loud, clear, whistled phrases, often described as “cheer, cheer, cheer” or “birdie, birdie, birdie,” repeated several times before switching to a new phrase. Cardinals learn their songs, so local dialects develop. Females sing too, often from the nest, and pairs sometimes exchange song phrases. The common call is a sharp, metallic “chip,” often given as an alarm.

In winter, cardinals become more sociable and may gather in loose flocks of a dozen or more birds around good food sources. They are often among the first birds active at dawn and the last to feed at dusk.

How do cardinals survive winter?

Because they do not migrate, northern cardinals must cope with snow and freezing nights in the northern part of their range. They fluff up their body feathers to trap a layer of warm air, much like wearing a down jacket, and they shiver their large breast muscles to generate heat. Their thin, unfeathered legs lose heat quickly, so roosting cardinals often tuck one leg up or crouch so that their feathers cover both feet.

Cardinals spend winter nights in dense cover such as evergreen trees, conifers and thick hedges, which shelter them from wind and owls. During the day they need plenty of high-energy food, and seeds rich in fat become especially important. The birds also save energy by feeding most actively early and late in the day.

Reproduction and nesting

During courtship, the male feeds the female seeds beak to beak, a behavior that looks like a kiss and helps strengthen the pair bond. Many pairs stay together year-round and may remain together for several seasons, although some pairs split, and DNA studies show that a share of nestlings are fathered by males outside the pair.

The female builds a cup-shaped nest of twigs, bark strips, leaves and grasses, usually hidden in a dense shrub, vine tangle or small tree 1–3 m (3–10 ft) above the ground. She lays 3–4 eggs, sometimes as few as 1 or as many as 5. The eggs are whitish with brown, gray or purple speckles.

The female incubates for 12–13 days. The chicks hatch naked and helpless and leave the nest after about 9–11 days. The male keeps feeding the fledglings while the female starts another nest. Pairs often raise two broods a year, and sometimes three or more in the south.

Lifespan, predators and threats

Most wild cardinals live only a few years, because of predators, harsh winters and accidents. Adult survival is estimated at around 60–65% per year. The oldest known wild northern cardinal was at least 15 years and 9 months old, and a captive bird lived to 28.5 years.

Adult cardinals are hunted by hawks, especially Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks, as well as shrikes, falcons and owls. Domestic cats are a major predator in gardens. Eggs and nestlings are taken by snakes, blue jays, crows, squirrels and chipmunks. Brown-headed cowbirds sometimes lay their eggs in cardinal nests.

Window collisions are a serious hazard for many backyard birds, cardinals included. These accidental collisions are different from the deliberate territorial attacks on reflections.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the northern cardinal as Least Concern. It is one of the most abundant birds in North America, with a global population estimated at roughly 100 million or more, and its range and numbers have grown over the past century. In the United States it is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which made it illegal to capture, kill, sell or keep cardinals. It is also protected in Canada.

Myths and facts

Myth: cardinals turn brown in winter. Unlike the American goldfinch, which changes color with the seasons, adult male cardinals stay red all year. Fresh feathers after the late-summer molt have grayish tips that make the bird look slightly duller in fall, but these wear off by spring to reveal brighter red.

Myth: cardinals always mate for life. Many pairs stay together for more than one season and remain together through winter, but some pairs split, and a bird that loses its mate usually finds a new one.

Myth: a cardinal at the window is trying to get inside. A cardinal tapping or flying at glass is fighting its own reflection, which it mistakes for a rival.

Folk belief: a cardinal is a visit from a loved one. Many people find comfort in the saying that “when cardinals appear, angels are near.” It is a popular modern folk belief rather than a scientific claim, and its exact origin is unclear. Cardinals are simply common, conspicuous and active near homes all year, which is why people notice them so often.

Relationship with people

The cardinal is one of America’s best-loved birds. It is the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, more than any other bird. See the full list of US state birds. It is also the mascot of many sports teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Cardinals.

The bird takes its name from the red robes and caps worn by cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. In the 1800s cardinals were popular cage birds, trapped and sold for their color and song, until federal law ended the trade. Today they are among the most watched birds at feeders, and their bright red against winter snow appears on countless holiday cards.