Cardinal Rules

Get to know one of North America’s most iconic species and learn how to attract them.

It’s hard to miss a male cardinal and his bold red feathers, black face mask and spiked crest. Although the female is more subdued, she is no less adored. Either is a go-to critter for holiday cards, in snowy scenes that take on vibrancy thanks to the dash of red.

Despite being fairly common, the birds can be a bit elusive. They often come to feeders as the sun is setting, when their red feathers are muted under low light conditions. Cardinals like to eat from trays or platforms, preferring sunflower and safflower seeds and often roasted, unsalted peanuts. Seeds and nuts are no match for their hefty pink beaks. Cracked corn is worth setting out, too.

“I’ll sprinkle seeds directly on the ground or the sidewalk to give cardinals easy access to a meal,” says Mike Havlik, a naturalist for the Dallas County Conservation Board in central Iowa.

A repetitive pew, pew, pew, pew song reveals the location of cardinals. Females often sing to reinforce pair bonding early in the breeding season. A male’s bold red coloration is thought to help attract mates. The brightness is related to diet, and studies indicate that the showier males tend to hold better territories, provide extra parental care and show higher nesting success. Cardinals generally stay in the same area, which helps get a jump-start on nesting, with some laying eggs by February. This long breeding season allows for multiple broods each year and ensures the survival of at least a few offspring. Cardinals aren’t too particular when it comes to nest location, and this generalist approach makes them susceptible to predation.

Thick cover provides good habitat for cardinals throughout the seasons. Hedgerows, shrubby stands, overgrown fields and forest edges all make suitable winter roosts. Cardinals thrive in towns and suburbs, and the species has expanded northward from its historic range.

While northern cardinals are abundant in the East, Midwest and Southwest, there are some regional variations in the species, especially in the Southwest and Mexico. Some scientists suggest that cardinals in the Sonoran Desert might be a different species from those found elsewhere in the United States, despite their proximity to northern cardinals in other southwestern deserts. Cardinals in the Sonoran Desert are somewhat larger, with longer crests, and the males are a paler red color. They also have slightly different songs. Regardless of the minute variations, they all look like cardinals when they perch on a bird feeder.