Just in Time for Christmas

Continuing our collection on birds, now that we have entered December, many of us are turning our thoughts to the upcoming holidays. Nothing brings this to mind more than the Northern Cardinal. The bright red males are synonymous with Christmas. And even though the females are not as bright, their color variations are still quite beautiful. 

When observing them on the feeders, they are the first to arrive in the morning, usually right at sunrise, and the last to return before the sun disappears beneath the horizon. They are easy to spot because of their distinct colors and to hear with their sweet little chirps. 

Did You Know:

• The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they’re still breathtaking in winter’s snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning.

• Only a few female North American songbirds sing, but the female Northern Cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. This may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest. A mated pair shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and slightly more complex song than the male.

Fun Facts:

• A perennial favorite among people, the Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states. (In the United States)
• The male cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces, it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder.

• The oldest recorded Northern Cardinal was a female, and was 15 years, 9 months old when she was found in Pennsylvania.

Learn more about cardinals by clicking on the link below

All of the “Did You Know” and Fun Facts are from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. They are one of the leading authorities worldwide on birds.