Both parents tend to the cardinal chicks, and even after the chicks have matured, they stay together as a family. While the female tends the nest, the male cares for her by bringing food and guarding against predators. The female cardinal builds the nest, usually 3-10 feet above the ground in a dense tree or shrub. If you ever see a cardinal hitting a window over and over, that’s what is happening. The male becomes aggressive in his protection of his territory and is known to engage in a battle with his own reflection. These birds bond over a feeding courtship ritual in which the female bird mimics the behavior of a nestling and the male bird offers her seeds or berries in a kiss-like gesture. For a sampling, click HERE.Ĭardinal couples typically mate for life and produce up to 3 clutches of eggs in a season. The cardinal repertoire includes sounds like what cheer, what cheer, what cheer or purty, purty, purty. A mated pair shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and slightly more complex song than the male. This may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest. Few female North American songbirds sing, but the female Northern Cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. Males often sing to scare away the competition when courting. Males, in particular, may sing throughout the year, though the peak of singing is in spring and early summer. When spring arrives, one of the first songbirds noticed is the Northern Cardinal.

Both genders have a prominent head crest that can be raised and lowered to indicate the bird’s mood. The female is a buff golden-tan with a red tinge to the wings and tail, with a smaller, less distinct mask. It’s hard to take your eyes off the male Northern Cardinal, with its brilliant red feathers, black mask, and orange/red beak.

The Northern Cardinal, AKA Red Bird, is common throughout the eastern United States from Maine to Florida, continuing north into Canada, and west to southern Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, and the eastern half of Mexico. Chances are you have probably received a Christmas card illustrating a snowy white landscape as the backdrop for a barren tree or fence post holding a bright red cardinal.

Male cardinal bird feeder