Attracting Northern Cardinals

 

Northern Cardinal

 Winter Bird Watching In Southern Ontario

 

One of the most recognizable and favorite birds of North America is the Northern Cardinal, and we in southern Ontario are delighted that these beautiful birds make southern Ontario their home all year round. In fact southeastern Canada is as far north as these birds will go. The male with its distinctive crest on the head is a bright red color and the female is beige with tinges of red. These birds are a favorite subject for artists, and paintings often depict them in winter scenes. In fact winter is a perfect time to keep your eye out for them as the white of the winter snow makes cardinals easy to spot. During cold weather they can be seen perched on a tree branch with feathers fluffed up to retain heat, and that makes them look quite plump.

The easiest way to attract cardinals to your backyard is to fill the bird feeder with black oil sunflower seeds. Cardinals love sunflower seeds and will spend a great deal of time at the feeder munching away, and that will give you a good opportunity to observe them well. Another thing that will make cardinals feel right at home in your backyard is to plant evergreen trees, they provide shelter for birds, and if you can plant shrubs that provide berries such as the service berry and black berry shrub, all the better as it will provide both shelter and a food source. Seeds and fruit are the main source of diet for cardinals but they will also eat insects.

Cardinals are often found in pairs and sometimes in small groups. They are willing to share the bird feeder with other bird species, although at one time I did observe one pecking other birds away if they got too close to its share of the seeds. Male cardinals are quite territorial in breeding season and both male and female cardinals are sometimes seen fighting off their own  reflection in a window. During breeding season the male will bring the female seeds and feed her by beak, now that's a gentleman.

These medium sized birds measuring just under 9 inches, with the female being slightly smaller, are exquisite singers, their songs are a soothing melody to the ears on a warm summer day. While in many species of birds only the male sings, that is not true of the Northern cardinal, both the male and female make delightful melodies.

Did You Know?

The Northern cardinal is also known as the common cardinal and redbird or red bird.

They are only found in the new world inhabiting the eastern United States, southeastern Canada and can be found as far south as Guatemala and Belize.

Some cardinals are yellow because their bodies are unable to convert the carotenoids found in their diet which give their feathers the red color.

Northern cardinals do not migrate so you have an opportunity to observe and admire their beauty all year long.

They are members of the finch family.

 

 

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