Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Unlike many other songbirds, both males and females sing; the female often sings from the nest to tell the male when to bring food.
- Scientific name
- Cardinalis cardinalis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Cardinalidae › Cardinalis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Woodlands, brushy thickets, suburban gardens, and forest edges.
- Diet
- Granivorous and insectivorous; primarily seeds, grains, berries, and small insects.
- Range
- Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada, Mexico, Guatemala
- Size
- Length: 21-23 cm; Wingspan: 25-31 cm; Weight: 42-48 g
- Lifespan
- 3 to 15 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Predation by domestic cats, window strikes, and loss of shrubby nesting habitat.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These birds are best enjoyed through binoculars or at a backyard feeder. If you find a fledgling on the ground, leave it be as its parents are likely nearby. To prevent window collisions, use bird-safe decals on glass surfaces.
The northern cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis ) is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis ; it is also known colloquially as the redbird or common cardinal . It can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico. Its habitat includes woodlands, gardens, shrublands, wetlands.
Photo: Paul Danese, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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