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By Tanya Dewey
Geographic Range
Northern cardinals are native to the Nearctic region. They are found throughout eastern and central North America from southern Canada into parts of Mexico and Central America. They have also been introduced to California, Hawaii and Bermuda. Cardinals have expanded their range considerably since the early 1800’s by taking advantage of moderate temperatures, human habitation and supplemental food available at bird feeders.
Biogeographic Regions:
nearctic 
(native ); neotropical (native ); oceanic islands (introduced ).
Habitat
Northern cardinals have a preference for the edges of woods, hedgerows, and vegetation around houses. This may be partially responsible for the increase in their population since the early 1800's. Cardinals also benefit from the large numbers of humans who feed them and other seed-eating birds with backyard bird feeders. Cardinals prefer to build their nests in dense thickets.
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial .
Terrestrial Biomes:
savanna or grassland ; forest ; mountains .
Other:
suburban ; agricultural .
Physical Description
(1.48 to 1.69 oz; avg. 1.58 oz)
(8.23 to 9.25 in)
Northern cardinals are medium-sized songbirds. Males are bright red except for a black mask on their face. Females are light brown or light greenish-brown, with reddish highlights and do not have a black mask (but parts of their face may be dark). Both males and females have thick, orange-red, cone-shaped bills, a long tail, and a distinctive crest of feathers on the top of their heads. Males are slightly larger than females. Males are 22.2 to 23.5 cm long whereas females are 20.9 to 21.6 cm long. The average weight of adult cardinals is 42 to 48 g. Immature cardinals are similar in appearance to females, but have a gray-black rather than orange-red bill.
There are 18 subspecies of Cardinalis cardinalis. The majority of these subspecies are distinguished based on the color of the face-mask in females. (Kielb, Swales, and Wolinski, 1992)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry ; polymorphic .
Sexual dimorphism: male larger, sexes colored or patterned differently, male more colorful.
Reproduction
Northern cardinals usually raise two broods a year, one beginning around March and the second in late May to July.
Northern cardinals breed between March and September.
Northern cardinals are socially monogamous, though polygyny occasionally occurs. Despite being socially monogamous, northern cardinals frequently engage in extra-pair copulations. In one study, 9 to 35% of nestlings were the result of extra-pair copulations.
Pair formation begins in early spring, and is initiated with a variety of physical displays. The male performs a variety of displays to attract a female, including courtship feeding. Breeding pairs may remain together year-round, and may breed together for several seasons. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Mating systems:
monogamous .
Northern cardinals breed between March and September. They usually raise two broods a year, one beginning around March and the second in late May to July. The second nest is often parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds. Nests are built by the female in dense tangles of vines or twigs in shrubs and small trees. The female lays 1 to 5 (usually 3) white to greenish eggs that average about one inch in length and one-half inch in diameter. Incubation begins when the last egg is laid, and is performed solely by the female. The male brings food to the incubating female. The eggs hatch after 11 to 13 days of incubation. The female broods the chicks for the first 2 days. Both parents feed the chicks a diet of insects. Both parents also remove fecal sacs from the nest. The chicks begin leaving the nest 7 to 13 (usually 9 to 10) days after hatching. The parents continue to feed the chicks for 25 to 56 days after they fledge from the nest. After leaving or being driven out of their parents' territory, young birds often join flocks of other juveniles. They may begin breeding the next spring. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous .
The female northern cardinal builds the nest, incubates the eggs for 11 to 13 days, and broods the altricial chicks for the first 2 days or so. During incubation, the male brings food to the incubating female. Both parents feed the nestlings a diet of insects and remove fecal sacs from the nest. The parents continue to feed the chicks for 25 to 56 days after they fledge from the nest. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Parental investment:
altricial ; pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: male, female, protecting: male, female); pre-independence (provisioning: male, female).
Lifespan/Longevity
The oldest wild cardinal banded by researchers lived at least 15 years and 9 months. Annual survival rates for adult northern cardinals have been estimated at 60 to 65%. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Behavior
Northern cardinals are not migratory; they are year-round residents throughout their range. They are active during the day, especially during the morning and evening hours. In winter, most cardinals flock and roost together. During the breeding season, they are quite territorial.
Home Range
In one study in northern Kentucky, the winter home ranges of northern cardinals were estimated to be about .212 square kilometers. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Communication and Perception
Northern cardinals primarily use vocalizations and physical displays to communicate. Male and female cardinals both sing. Their songs are loud, beautiful whistled phrases. Their songs have been described as sounding like "whoit whoit whoit " and "whacheer whacheer." These songs are used to defend territories and to court mates. Male and female cardinals use "chips" as contact calls and alarms. They also have many visual displays to signal alarm. These include "tail-flicks" and raising and lowering the crest.
Food Habits
About 90% of northern cardinals' diet consists of weed seeds, grains, insects, fruits, and sunflower seeds. They prefer seeds that are easily husked, but are less selective during winter when food is scarce. According to one observer, a cardinal was seen feeding on a dead black-capped chickadee on a cold snowy day. Northern cardinals also eat some insects and feed their young almost exclusively insects. (Halkin and Linville, 1999; Searles, 1989)
Animal Foods:
carrion ; insects.
Plant Foods:
seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit.
Predation
- domestic cats (Felis silvestris)
- domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
- Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii)
- loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus)
- northern shrikes (Lanius excubitor)
- eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)
- long-eared owls (Asio otus)
- eastern screech owls (Otus asio)
- milk snakes (Lampropeltis doliata)
- black racers (Coluber constrictor)
- pilot black snakes (Elaphe obsoleta)
- blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata)
- fox squirrels (Sciurus niger)
- red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
- eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus)
- brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater)
Adult northern cardinals are predated by domestic cats, domestic dogs, Cooper's hawks, loggerhead shrikes, northern shrikes, eastern gray squirrels, long-eared owls and eastern screech-owls. Nestlings and eggs are vulnerable to predation by snakes, birds and small mammals. Egg and nestling predators include milk snakes, black racers, pilot black snakes, blue jays, fox squirrels, red squirrels and eastern chipmunks. Brown-headed cowbirds also remove eggs from the nest, sometimes eating them.
When confronted with a predator near their nest, both male and female northern cardinals will give an alarm call that is a short, chipping note, and fly toward the predator in an attempt to scare them away. They do not aggressively mob predators. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Ecosystem Roles
Because northern cardinals eat large quantities of seeds and fruits, they may act to disperse seeds for some plants. They may also influence the plant community composition through seed eating.
Northern cardinals provide food for their predators. They also sometimes raise the chicks of brown-headed cowbirds that parasitize their nests, helping local brown-headed cowbird populations. Northern cardinals also host many internal and external parasites.
Key ways these animals impact their ecosystem:
disperses seeds.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse affects of northern cardinals on humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Northern cardinals affect humans by dispersing seeds and eating insect pests such as boll weevils, cutworms, and caterpillars. They are also an attractive visitor to backyard birdfeeders.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
controls pest population.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Least Concern.
US Migratory Bird Act: [link]:
Protected.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
State of Michigan List: [link]:
No special status.
Northern cardinals appear to have increased in number and geographic range over the last 200 years. This is probably the results of increased habitat due to human activities. There are an estimated 100,000,000 individuals worldwide. This species protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Other Comments
Northern cardinals are also known as common cardinals, cardinal grosbeaks, red-birds, Virginia nightingales, cardinal-birds, cardinal red-birds, Virginia redbirds, crested redbirds and top-knot redbirds. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (author), Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
Jonathan Crane (author), University of Michigan.
Kari Kirschbaum (author, editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.
