The legs and feet are a dark pinkish-brown and the eyes (irises) are brown. They have short, corn-shaped, coral red bills, prominent raised head crests and long tails. Their wingspan is about 10 – 12 inches (25 – 31 cm). The Northern Cardinals are medium-sized songbirds, measuring from 7.5 – 9.25 inches (19.05 – 23.5 cm) in length and weighing about 1.5 – 1.7 oz (42 – 48 g). Males, in particular, will forcefully defend their territories, chasing away other males and have even be observed attacking small red objects that they mistake for other males, or reflections of themselves in windows, mirrors or chrome. During the breeding season they are typically seen alone or in pairs, and, they are quite aggressive as they are defending their breeding territories. In winter, most cardinals flock and roost together. They have also been introduced to California (although some populations found in the Colorado River Valley are marginally natives), as well as having been introduced to Hawaii in the late 1920’s and Bermuda in 1700.įrom the USA, their range stretches south through Mexico to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean) as well as northern Guatemala and northern Belize in Central America.Ĭardinals are found in semi-open habitats with nearby shrub or edges for nesting including living at the edge of woodlands, shrublands, shrubby swamps and urban areas, such as gardens and parks with dense shrubbery. Their range stretches west to South Dakota, Nebraska and Arizona and south to the Gulf Coast states (including Florida). In eastern United States, they occur as far north as New England (comprising the US states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut) and New York. Moderate temperatures may also have helped.Īt the northern end of their range, they occur in southeastern Canada, in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. In the past few decades, these songbirds have expanded their range westward and northward taking advantage of readily available food supplies at residential feeders, as well as being attracted to the hedgerows and vegetation around houses for building their nests in. Young birds, in particular, may also disperse after being driven out of their parents’ territories as they are getting ready to breed again. However, they may travel or relocate to avoid extreme weather conditions or to find areas with better food offerings, if sources in their areas are no longer readily available to support them. Within their range, Cardinals are mostly resident, with most of them living within a mile of where they hatched. The Northern Cardinals are quite common throughout eastern and central North America. carneus), Kardinál cervený … Spanish: Cardenal rojo de Cozumel, Cardenal común, Cardenal Norteño, Cardenal Rojo … Swedish: Röd kardinal carneus) … Russian: ? … Slovak: kardinál chochlatý (C.c.
carneus), Cardinal de Virginie, Cardinal rouge … German: Roter Kardinal, Rotkardinal … Italian: Cardinale rosso, Cardinale settentrionale … Japanese: shoujoukoukanchou … Mayan languages: chac dzidzib … Norwegian: Rødkardinal … Polish: Kardynal szkarlatny (C.c. cardinalis) Cardinal à huppe longue, Cardinal rouge à huppe longue (C.c. carneus) … Dutch: Rode Kardinaal … Estonian: Kardinal … Finnish: Punakardinaali … French: Cardinal rouge (C.c. states – namely Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia – have chosen these well-loved songbirds as their state birds.Ĭhinese: ? … Czech: Kardinál cervený … Danish: Rød Kardinal (C.c. These strikingly beautiful songbirds were once prized as cage birds, but their sale is now banned in the United States, as they were given protection by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. They are sometimes referred to as “Red Birds” “Common Cardinals” or “Virginia Nightingales.”Īccording to legend, these birds were named for the red color of the male’s plumage that is reminiscent of the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals and the crest of feathers on top of the head that bears a resemblance to a bishop’s mitre (formal headdress).
Unlike many creatures that disappeared after urbanization, this bird species seems to have greatly benefited from it. In recent history, they have been expanding their ranges north and southwest facilitated by the increasing supply of food offerings at residential bird feeders and dense underbrush found in gardens and parks that serve them well for nesting. The Northern Cardinals ( Cardinalis cardinalis) are medium-sized, very popular songbirds found throughout the eastern half of the United States, most of Mexico, and northern areas of Central America. Breeding / Nesting … Diet / Feeding … Longevity and Predation.Physical Description … Calls / Vocalizations.
Subspecies and Ranges … Distribution and Habitat.
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