Northern Cardinal | One of the MOST ADMIRED Birds
One of the most admired backyard birds of North America, the Northern Cardinal is thought to be more responsible than any other bird for getting people to open up a field guide. They have even been selected as the state bird of seven states.
What do male and female Northern Cardinals look like?
With their unforgettable bold red plumage, male Northern Cardinals are quite the sight to behold. However striking though, let us not lose sight of the subdued females. Both sexes have a black face with a red-orange bill, they measure between 8 and 9 inches and weigh 1 ½ to close to 2 ounces. Cardinals have a long tail, a large bill that is thick and short, and a charming crest
Where to find a Northern Cardinal
Habitats such as forest edges that have dense shrubs, marshy thickets, Fields that are overgrown, hedgerows, regrowing forest, and areas that have ornamental landscaping.
What bird food do Northern Cardinals like to eat?
Northern Cardinals like to eat black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, safflower,, cracked corn, peanut hearts, and millet.
What does a Northern Cardinal sound like (call and song)
Three widespread categories of songs are commonly described as what cheer, cheer, cheer ; cheer, cheer, what what what what; and birdie, birdie, birdie. The most commonly heard calls of Northern Cardinals are chip calls, other calls are names chuck, chitter, took, chatter and pfitt
Northern Cardinal Nest
In trees and shrubs such as dogwood, hawthorn, spruce, pines, rose bushes, elms, and maples are readily used, and the nest is built in the fork of a tree or shrub around 1 to 15 ft high. . A cup that has four layers is constructed by the female: and can take anywhere from a few days to almost two weeks to complete. Anywhere from 2 - 5 eggs are laid. It takes around two weeks for the eggs to hatch, and the babies are usually ready to fledge around a week and a half to 2 weeks later.
Bald headed Northern Cardinal
Their striking appearance takes a complete change in late summer after they are done raising babies. Some birds lose head and neck feathers leaving them virtually bald. More often than not this is just the normal molting process and will return to normal in a couple weeks
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:22 What does it mean when you see a Northern Cardinal
00:32 Where are Northern Cardinals located (Range Map)
01:14 What does a Male and Female Northern Cardinal look like
02:06 Other birds that look similar to the Northern Cardinal
02:32 Where to find a Northern Cardinal
02:56 What type of bird food does a Northern Cardinal like
04:00 What does a Northern Cardinal sound like (calls/songs)
05:12 Northern Cardinal Courtship
05:30 Northern Cardinal Nest, Eggs, Babies, Brood, etc
07:26 Why does a Northern Cardinal have a bald head
08:00 Northern Cardinal Population, Numbers, and conservation
09:24 Ending / lesleythebirdnerd.com
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I see them in my back yard all the time. Before my son passed away in 10-9-15 a cardinal appeared at my kitchen window every morning for about 12 days in a roll. They are also been none as a messenger. But I have read and bern told. When a cardinal appears in your yard or window its a loved one from heaven. Which ever I love them and have had some experience with them so I believe in it . Tks for sharing !!!
Hello i'm Herman forbid25 channel in Indonesia 🙏
That
I love your content and keep buying shirts as gifts and for myself! Much ❤ from upstate NY!
How do we send videos? I have a great short of a male cardinal feeding a juvenile.
When I was a kid in the 1940's, I lived in a small urban community within sight of the New York skyline. At that time, cardinals were considered a rarity - maybe not ivory bill rare - but well beyond "unusual." When I was maybe nine or ten I remember walking into town on a spring day and seeing this red fluff of feathers preening itself on a branch of a London Plane tree. That was my first cardinal and the image and delight at seeing this bird has remained etched in my memory ever since.
After recently discovering your videos, I've begun taking a bag of sunflower seeds on my daily hikes. I inadvertently discovered a pair of chickadees always hanging out in the same place each day, and realized that the 10ft high dead tree stump there were standing on was their nest cavity, with a small entrance hole at the very top. So every day I'd leave a little pile of seeds at the base of the stump, and the next day the pile had turned into a pile of empty shells. One time when I was leaving seeds, one of the chickadees flew down and landed on my palm, chirped, and began eating right out of my hands! I was so shocked that I said "oh my god, HI LENTIL! That's a good boy!" I didn't know what else to call him, and the name 'Lentil' came into my head because of your 'Lentil'! So I hope you don't mind me co-opting your Chickadee's name. There's now another Chickadee in Connecticut named Lentil, who eats out of somebody's hand each day! Thank you for your wonderful videos!
Not at all my friend. You are more than welcome to use that name for your darling new little buddy! I love that you were given this wonderful experience. Enjoy every second you have. 🥰
Cool story !
😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Wow!
My neighbourhood has lots of cardinals in it. Every spring/summer day, I can hear their clear song along with the robins, mourning doves, chipping sparrows, and the blue jays. Truly one of my favourite birds.
I agree. Most spring and summer days in my neighborhood are filled with songs of the birds that you listed, especially the Cardinals. Also, Mockingbirds, Song Sparrows, Blue Jays, House Finches, etc. for good measure. 🐦🎶😌
I own 2, found them years ago in Southern California when they were babies laying down in the street. They are the most beautiful birds on Earth 🌍🌍
My favourite experience with Cardinals is when a bird perched on top of my car. It truly was a *car*dinal!
After many years working out side in N.h. and Maine, I'm convinced that the spiritual nature of these cardinal s,showing up at times in your life when a love loss has happened to you. Also a feeling that comes over you is a language of it's own ❤ Thankyou. CHOCTAW NATIVE ❤
Me and my grandma used to sit in her kitchen or in her yard talking, drinking coffee and watching the birds. Cardinals were always there. She used to tell me the Cardinals are your loved ones that passed visiting you. Now my grandmas passed and everyday i watch the Cardinals and thibk of her and our conversations. ❤
Just seen a female cardinal this morning and the first thing I thought of was my grandma. ❤ beautiful story
I have loved cardinals since I was a child in illinois. Happiest memory - a male cardinal singing his heart out in the middle of a winter blizzard - he was in the plum tree in our back yard. I was 10 years old and have never forgotten those precious moments I stood in the heavy blowing snow and watched him sing - I thought he was singing to me! Adorable!
What a darling ❤️ Isn't it interesting how we hold on to some memories well into our adulthood? I love that!
@@LesleytheBirdNerd I love their beautiful red feathers 🥰
Cardinal parents are so brave. They once nested in our backyard and chased away a crow intruder that's more than six times their size.
I love Cardinals they wake me up every morning with those cheery chirps!
Hi. The Cardinal is my FAVORITE Bird! Very PRETTY! We have a bamboo tree in our backyard and there's been nest in it. I love birds period. To hear them sing makes my heart and soul HAPPY! I live in Florida.
I love cardinals. I sit in my backyard and absorb precious vitamin D and watch the birds and sip on black coffee ( my morning routine ) thanks Leslie 🌷💕💕
That is a beautiful way to start your day, love it! 🐦❤️
❤ we have some beautiful Cardinals in our backyard. Thrilling to see the couple & even better to hear them. They just make me HAPPY
We have had the same two for the past few years and they have brought a number of offspring into the neighborhood ! They hang at the feeders and get an occasional peanut as well ! Blessed to have them 🙏
Aww Bill that is so heartwarming. How wonderful to get to see the whole family like that. Very blessed indeed 🥰
The male of my first cardinal pair was a wee feathery fireball. One night, I saw him hammering away at a peanut like his life depended on it. This went on for a good twenty minutes. When he flew off, I went out to see what he’d been at- the shell was left in splinters!
My favorite color is red and my favorite baseball team is the St. Louis Cardinals, how could I not love this bird? 🙂
The Northern Cardinal is definitely my favorite. They stay in the cold north even during the winter.
I'm so happy that there are two pairs of Cardinals that have a nest nearby so I hear them singing everyday! Finches, Robins and Chickadees are also hanging out frequently!
What a blessing 🥰
@@LesleytheBirdNerd Sometimes I have to realize how lucky I am to get these birds in my backyard. Sincere thank YOU for this channel and helping me identify these different birds by their songs. Cheers!
I always look forward to seeing all the cardinals perched on branches around the bird feeder after a winter snow. What a beautiful picture.
Cardinals are our state bird in West Virginia…we see lots of them at our feeders! They are beautiful!❤️
🥰
@@LesleytheBirdNerd here where I love there knowed as team cardinal ☝️
My favorite wild bird. One day I took a picture of a male cardinal and a young bunny looking at each other. It was so cute and to get a picture is a bonus.
Thanks!
Thank you so much, Joni. very much appreciated 🥰
@@LesleytheBirdNerd From my Michigan sanctuary to your vast Canadian woodlands… loads of thanks for your vast commitment to the Ornithology world …
Girl, I'm one of those people that opened a birding book because of Cardinals. I lived in this area that was urban/suburban and they used to scavange from our trash. We were all in a Section 8 building. I went downstairs to my neighbor and asked if she minded if I put a bird feeder up in front of her windows (I was right above her). I told her "it's to attract the cardinals". She said "Oh! The red bird???" So impactful. 20 years later, I'm still feeding my birds. We have a Cardinal couple that appears to have one female offspring. Dad usually feeds her and she's pretty spunky. She's constantly singing the "chip" noise, so loud I can hear it when I'm away and I'm on the phone with my husband while he's home. My love for birds have grown, and I have other "favorite" species, but the Northern Cardinal will always have a special place in my heart.
I grew up with cardinals in Southwestern Ontario decades ago. I love them and miss them. I sing to my backyard birds on the west coast now using the cardinal's song.
The papa cardinal is always last to leave. I go to bring in feeders at night and sure enough I hear him in the pine he’s like wait coming for last dibs. My favorite is when he lets the bluejays know who is king of the feeders, never get tired of watching them running the bigger blue jay off.
We are blessed to have these precious birds here in N. Missouri! Thank you for this video!
Our pleasure!
I could listen to Cardinals all day. We don't have them in California, so I have to go back to the Midwest to hear them. They're lovely.
Cardinals were the birds that got my family and me interested in birding and bird feeding. These birds are amazing and always a joy to watch.
This morning - May 30th - two cardinals - male and female - hopped across my patio on their way to who knows where? My cat, which is not allowed out, watched in wonder as they stopped for a minute to tease her. Somehow they seemed to know that she could not get at them. They are beautiful.
Yes! I love them. They stole my heart when I had a couple that came through the day and always in the evening. I called them my evening couple. He would feed her and I've kept my seed & clean water out ever since! 💞🥰💞
When you think about it, nature is wonderous with all the different animals. birds and marine life on our planet.
What I like most about cardinals is their songs! That and their cheery colourisation against the snow. I am fortunate to have them in my back yard all year round. Thank you for your very lovely and informative presentation. I hope that you do get to see a bonded pair in person one day. From Montréal, Québec, Canada. ❤🇨🇦❤
The sweet song of the cardinal bird is one I grew up hearing as a child in St. Louis. I recently moved back to STL after decades in Los Angeles where there are many nice birds, but no cardinals, of course. How funny that upon returning to my childhood city, that SONG, a soundtrack to youth, long forgotten, was immediately remembered , and brought some bit of nostalgia with it. I will absolutely be watching and providing seed for the local cardinals I have noticed hopping in my Missouri backyard.❤
Sending love and light Bird Whisperer…🥰
You are always so gentle and kind. Thank you for the sweet vibes, same to you 🥰
i used to hesitate calling them my favorite bird because they’re so “common” in my area. but i think that’s what makes them great - on any given day you can look up and see one of these beauties, and they always put a smile on my face. both their vibrancy and their sweet calls always cheer me up instantly, they are so precious. i had a mated pair with an adorable fledgling at my feeder last year, and i think they’re back again! hoping to see them raise another little one or two this summer. :)
We had a yellow cardinal in my county last year for a few months, and he became quite the celebrity. Cardinals are quite ubiquitous here in Central Florida so sometimes we can take them for granted. And then you see them against a certain background, or see them exhibiting some cool or funny behavior, and it makes you remember how awesome they are.
I think God has created this bird so special that I can’t even explain that’s why it’s my favorite bird in the world thank you for everything
I love this. Cardinals are wonderful little creatures.
Thanks Lesley! I LOVE CARDINALS! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
They are always the last ones at the feeders - right before the sun goes down. They are beautiful ❤️🖤
And the first 2 arrive along with the juncos
My favorite bird
It's easy to see why 🐦Awesome birds
@@LesleytheBirdNerd 🥰
The most beautiful birds and my personal favorite. Always love seeing a cardinal pair flying about.
I loooove watching them when it snows. So pretty
I had cardinals in my yard in the DC area. Now I live in Northern California, and I haven't seen a cardinal in the 53 years I've lived here. I miss their colorful displays and happy songs.
I've been able to pish cardinals without much effort. One day, while painting my shed, I ended up bringing the same male three separate times! He kept changing his song, and I didn't know it was him until after I'd mimicked it and he showed up again!
I love their song “pretty boy, pretty boy.”
I have a dozen or so Northern Cardinals visiting my back yard daily and year round here in Northwest Florida. They love the black oil seed I give them. They also eat other birdseed occasionally It is a soothing pleasurer to watch them.
They are incredible birds! Grew up in the east, now live out west. Miss them much.
Thank you for helping me get started with birding. I've managed to tame 5 mockingbirds, the greatest animal in the world, and have even taught them basic commands.
I love our cardinal pair. When the share food is the best. The male is so striking in the snow or green lush yard. They really sing loud also, seeming to show off their lung capacity. :)
They are so beautiful. I get to see them every year when they come by to eat. By far one if my absolute favorite birds. I’m always in awe when I get to see them all beautiful and bright.
They brighten my day every morning here in NC. We have at least 3 couples that are regulars. Some times we see lots more.
Great video, thanks Lesley! Cardinals are my favorite 😊🥰🥰 I love the male cardinals dance at 4:45
I love that courtship dance, too. 😊 I hope to get to see it in person one day, as well as hear the “took” call when they’re courtship feeding. 🤞🥰
@@BirdsandGhibliFan oh I bet you will! Actually it was that sound that made me look outside the time I saw the male cardinal in my backyard doing that wing dance with the female 😄, now you know what sound to listen for, if you ever hear it then start looking around! 🤞
I feed my cardinals with cracked corn and grain oats. They love them! As an appreciation they sing just to say thank you. ❤
It was great to hear that song again...its been a few yrs due to moving farther north. While the males steal the attention in my book the healthy female with the sun shining on her on a snowy back drop just pops. Some of those females just show fantastic colors.
See you tomorrow. ❤️
My spirit bird.
I saw 4 males in the same bush yesterday I was taught as s child to see one is good luck and allows you to make a wish so 4 wishes 😊 that's a once in a lifetime
A couple of neighborhood kids and I were admiring a wood nymph butterfly a while back, kids took a pic and left, then a cardinal swooped in and ate it! Fancy breakfast,Mr.Cardinal.🦋
I have a pair that lives here, they amaze me everyday...such a joy
Thank you everyone who helped Lesley get this to us. Lesley it was so amazing!
I moved from the desert Southwest, to Oklahoma 8 years ago, and Cardinals are my favorite part. We get a lot of them in fall and winter. They look so beautiful, and stand out against a snowy background.
My niece's, who's 4 though it was when she was 3, first bird she was able to identify by site and call were crows and then cardinals. Technically it was vultures but she would often mix crows and vultures together when seeing them so it was when she could match the call to the bird (crows) that I realized she was actually identifying crows for what they are and not what she thought they were. She's becoming quite the proficient naturalist.
To be fair, a crow is as big to a toddler as a vulture is to an adult.
That is wonderful. 🥰
The Northern Cardinal is the mascot for my college, Ball State University! The northern cardinal is a fierce bird during breeding season, especially when they're around bird feeders, and are adorable to watch.
The last several days we have watched a female take nesting material under a bough of a spruce tree. It is interesting to watch her gather the various materials, hop onto the bough, take a quick look for predators, then disappear under the bough. A minute or so later, she emerges and repeats the process. Our feeders are only a short distance from this spruce. Over the winter, multiple cardinals visited. Now that breeding season is here, the male drives off any other cardinal that isn't his mate. Finally, one of our females this winter had gold tones in her feathers. Both my wife and I were mesmerized by this beauty.
Blue Jay's and humming birds are my tops and all the birds of pray
I believe that they are spirit birds. They are so pretty and they stand out in the fall sunlight.
I have Cardinals in my backyard they are awesome to look at. Cardinals are my wife’s favorite.
As a child, i always marveled at cardinals and blue jays!
Thanks Lesley! The Cardinals are one of my favorite birds. I grew up in NY on the south shore of Lake Ontario where they were very common. I was surprised & happy to see they flourish in Texas too. They are common visitors to my bird feeders and bird baths.
Cardinals are one of my favorite small birds. Their songs seem to go together well with Robin and house finch songs. I also have heard them calling at the same times when chickadees start chicka-dee-dee-deeing and woodpeckers do their pecking. There’s lots of each of these birds in central Iowa where I live. Even the mascot for Iowa State University is a cardinal.
Another North Carolinian here! I love seeing the cardinals in my backyard! I've noticed the males like to eat up high, and the females seem to prefer eating on the ground. I haven't really noticed any other interesting behavior though. Of all my backyard birds, they're the most boring behaviorly (at least, whenever I'm observing them 😂). I also can't really tell them apart (there's at least 2 males and a few females). When some molt, I can sort of track who is who for a while (one female cardinal last year had a truly spectacular molt and lost all her head and neck feathers at once - I honestly didn't even recognize it as a cardinal at first 😅). I'm starting to tell the Blue Jays apart, and even the tufted titmice (one of whom has a feather sticking out funny so I can always tell him from the others!) and chickadees have distinct personalities. Sadly, I had to stop feeding the cardinals sunflower seeds now that it's summer because we've got black bears. 😒 At least there's plenty of bugs and berries out now!
I have a "pet" cardinal at my house. He will wait for me on my porch when I get home from work for his sunflower seed dinner. He chirps fast if I don't move fast enough. He will also call for his missus when he's finished. Thank you, Lesley!
Before I had to move to an apartment in a complex I had a beautiful backyard full of feeders and birds. There was a Cardinal couple who I called Bert and Ethel. They showed up all year round and had a nest nearby. I loved watching the youngsters who fledged and started new families. Thank you for your videos. I truly miss my yard. Your videos bring me out to the birds anytime I want. I also love the way you describe the birds and show how beautiful they are!
Good all around advice: "Never be complacent."
As I’m watching this the cardinals are singing outside my window....lol...it’s like Dolby sound😝
what i remember most about Cardinals from my childhood. They seem so present in the moment. alert, intelligent, analytical. almost felt like we should talk to them. lol. i was little.
I love our cardinals. We've got a pair that visits our feeder every day and it's always so cute watching the male follow his lady everywhere
They are so beautiful in the winter, they pop in the dreary backgroud. It’s amazing how they are able to survive! One of my favorites!
I love their laser beam sounds in the spring☺️ such beautiful birds
I live in and tend to stay in the desert southwest of the US. Once, many years ago while i was on a road trip with my family, we stopped at a rest stop. While walking around, and stopping to look into the brush, i spotted a beautiful, bright red cardinal just hanging out in a bush. That's the only one i can ever remember seeing in real life.
They are always in my backyard I saw one today in fact. The females are always close by. This past winter I took many photos of them in the snow. Such a beautiful contrast of color ❤️
I love getting to see the cardinals everyday. There is a male and one eager female who, when they spot me, will fly to a higher nearby tree branch and call to me. I usually reward them with a thrown peanut half. They are very sweet and skittish birds. In the winter here Last season I saw as many as 14 cardinals come by at once to my feeder. It was really surprising and beautiful to see ☺️💖
I adore Northern Cardinal’s SO much, they are my favorite bird couple. I’m from Texas so they are common backyard birds.
One of the things I love about Cardinals is that when I put peanuts out for the Jays and red bellied woodpeckers, they show up as well and take a peanut too. ☺️
Me 2.They do luv peanuts but not there fav., but on some days they do wear out the peanuts.Guess they like a little variety.
I just love how they look, and when I can get unexpected photos of them
I recently moved from the PNW to Texas and I was delighted to find cardinals in my backyard. When I saw both cardinals and blue jays on my back fence, I took it as a good omen! ☮️💟
Lesley you have such a beautiful way of speaking. I love cardinals so much! I always get excited when i hear their “peep”! I found it EXTREMELY interesting that the males feed other babies. I’m assuming this is an accident! I know their hormones really take over - i see them acting much more intense snd aggressive in spring.
My first experience with the Cardinal was when living on my sailboat anchored off Islamorada in the Florida Keys, c. 1980. Being from Virginia I was surprised the Cardinal was that far south. I would walk back from my restaurant job in the evening on a lane parallel to US 1 and would often see, and hear, the male Cardinal in the trees. It was always a pleasure to encounter the guy. And also, my first contact with the Red Winged Blackbird was sitting by the pool at a resort in Islamorada where I later worked. I soon became familiar with its call. Even later, in Connecticut, I loved to see the male on top of some rushes near the Connecticut River. And lastly, living in Montana and biking along some road the males would dive bomb me, I suppose thinking I was some threat. Little did they know I was a friend.
Kingfisher and mocking bird's are cool bird's
They truly are, totally agree :)
Fascinating info about a beautiful and recognizable bird. Especially interesting to learn about female cardinals singing duets with the males, males feeding other species on occasion, and that the red colour of the males is from their diet.
I live in north Arkansas and have lots of cardinals on the property and the colors are amazing on both sexes especially in the winter.
I have a cardinal couple that has been hanging around my yard for a few years now. I love watching the male give the female seeds in the spring 🤗 I also love seeing their cute black bald heads at the end of summer 😂
They’re my state bird (Ohio) and they are quite abundant. I so do love watching them shell a sunflower seed. So many other birds take their food to go but Cardinals will perch on my platform feeder & eat one sunflower seed after another.
Such a magnificent bird and Lesley I absolutely love your channel. Thank you for all of the great work you do, it’s appreciated!❤
Another wonderful video...watched it while sitting next to my feeder watching cardinals and others feed. Watching them react to the Cardinals songs in the video was very amusing...they are extremely territorial!!!
Thank you, Lesley! I have been holding off on watching what I knew would be a great video until I psychologically needed it. I have had to take down all my bird feeders because of raccoons destroying my landscaping plants trying to reach them. I hope those raccoons will move on soon, and I can put the feeders back up. I still have some birds around because they grab the nuts and peanuts I put out for squirrels. The birds are welcome to them too, since the squirrels have eaten a lot of bird food! I love my cardinals - they are always faithful to my yard, and have brought their offspring over to feed!
I feel so lucky because I have these shrubs in my backyard where this family of Cardinals have built their next for the season. I wake up most mornings to their beautiful song and I love seeing them at my feeder. They’re always one of the first ones to visit my feeders at dawn and the last ones to at dusk. They’re such beautiful birds and definitely one of my favorite!
I have a pair that have visited my feeder for 2 years. They LOVE black oil sunflower seeds, and as you've said, they're usually the first and last visitors to my feeder each day. In full sunlight the male is strikingly beautiful and he is bold in the way he approaches the feeder. The female is more subdued in her behavior, preferring to eat the seeds spilled onto my deck rather than from the feeder, although she does get up there with him sometimes. They are extremely shy, but the male is starting to let me watch him eat from a distance. Love from Alabama!
The thing i like most about Cardinals is that they are more cognizant of people than most other birds. I put seeds on the posts of my second story deck and they would bring their newborns with them and feed them there, showing them off to those they trust. If i forgot to put seeds out, they would come to the deck and chirp loudly until i remembered to feed them. They are like dogs, they know who you are and interact with you.
I have always loved the way cardinals act as a well drilled pair. If you see one, there's another nearby. They are rarely right next to each other but they are always keeping track of each other and engaging with the environment as a unit, dividing up tasks.