Appearance of the Northern Cardinal
The Northern Cardinal is easily recognized by its vibrant red color. The brighter the male, the more plentiful the food is in its territory and the better its chance of bearing offspring. Along with a bright red body, tail and bill, the male has a distinctive black “mask” on its face. The female, on the other hand, is a plain grayish-tan, although there is some red in her head, wings, breast, and tail feathers. Even though the female also has a “face mask,” it tends to be more grayish to black in color. These medium sized birds reach a length of 8-9 inches and weight of 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 ounces. The male, a formidable foe when defending its territory, will fight both real competing males and imaginary ones it sees in window reflections! Some ultra-defensive birds have also been known to attack side view mirrors on car doors when it sees a "competing male" in its reflection!
Geography of the Northern Cardinal
The Northern Cardinal is found throughout eastern North America, from southeastern Canada southward through the United States down to Mexico and northern parts of Central America. These birds prefer to spend the winter in their habitat and do not migrate southward like other bird species.
Local Environments of the Northern Cardinal
The Northern Cardinals prefer suburban areas and forest edges where they can nest in gardens, thickets and shrubbery. They are often found in close proximity to houses where bird feeders are present. They are frequent visitors to bird feeders and are very visible in the winter, especially with the bright red coloring of the male against the white of the snow. During the winter, though they do prefer to flock together, something they will not do during the breeding season.
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