Cardinal | Bird, Description, Types, Classification & Facts
The cardinal is a type of bird found in North and South America. There are many types of cardinals. The type of cardinal that most people think of when they think of cardinal birds is the northern cardinal.
The Northern Cardinal
Male Northern cardinals have bright red plumage. The cardinal got his name from these bright red feathers because he was named after the Catholic leading cardinal. Catholic cardinals wear bright red clothes.
Get Free Counseling
What does it look like?
Northern cardinals are found in North America. Males have bright red feathers, a black face, and a coral or red bill. Females are tan and may have reddish wings or tail feathers. Both have strong beaks, long tails and high crests. They are 7 to 9 inches tall.
A pair of northern cardinals will nest together. Both will feed the child cardinal. Males are territorial and will sing a loud song to warn other male cardinals to stay away. Female cardinals will build nests usually in low branches or bushes.
The male cardinal is very protective of his territory and will fight with other males. He is even known to have caused a fight with his own reflection!
How do they communicate?
The cardinal is said to use songs to communicate. Males and females will sing to each other. The typical Northern Cardinal song begins with a series of loud, clear whistles. The Cardinals will also sing high-pitched “chips” as an alarm song.
Baby Cardinals
The little cardinals of the North will all have the same tan as their mother. The males will have red plumage as they mature. Babies are born from white eggs with brown spots. Females will lay one to five eggs with a typical nest of three eggs. The chicks are helpless when they are born and both parents collect food to feed them.
Cardinals love to forage at dawn and dusk. They eat insects, fruits and seeds.
The Northern Cardinal is a common bird in the United States. It is the state’s most popular bird as it is the official bird of seven US states including North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia. Cardinal is also the mascot of several universities (i.e. Louisville and Stanford) and professional sports teams.
Fun Facts About Cardinals
The Northern Cardinals are protected under the Migratory Birds Act. You cannot keep one as a pet and it is illegal to capture or kill it.
Some people think that the Catholic Cardinal got his name from the bird, but the reality is the opposite.
Male cardinals can sometimes sing up to 200 songs in an hour. Sometimes men and women sing duet.
They get their red coat thanks to the carotenoids in their diet.
Cardinals are one of the most popular birds among bird feeders. It is believed that the birds are now able to survive in some snowy areas thanks to bird feeders.