According to old folklore, northern cardinals are visitors from heaven, symbolizing light in the middle of darkness, hope among the ashes of sorrow, and warmth in the coldest days. Probably, that’s why people love cardinals so much over other bird species.
But apart from the spiritual reasons, northern cardinals have some significant causes to get admired by bird watchers throughout the globe. For example, how cardinals live, mate, thrive, what they eat, or how they nurture their babies always convince birders and ornithologists to conduct a probing study on cardinals.
And like those researchers, we have also conducted a study on cardinals and shared the information in this blog post to help you know everything about this stunning songbird. That said, let’s get straight into it.
Cardinals Family (Northern Cardinal):
Cardinals, these visually astounding bird species, are derived from the cardinalidae bird family, commonly called cardinal-grosbeaks.
The family consists of new world-endemic passerines: the mighty cardinals, grosbeaks, and stunning buntings.
Aside from that, this bird family includes 14 genera, which are as follows:
- Chlorothraupis
- Habia
- Piranga
- Cardinalis
- Caryothraustes
- Rhodothraupis
- Periporphyrus
- Pheucticus
- Granatellus
- Spiza
- Amourospiza
- Cyanoloxia
- Cyanocompsa
- Passerine
The northern cardinals and their subspecies, like the vermilion cardinal and pyrrhuloxia, fall into the cardinalis genus. In addition to Piranga, the family cardinalidae includes Granatelli, a bird with characteristics similar to a warbler. In total, it houses 53 subspecies.
Most birds of this family are famous for their vibrant red, yellow, and blue colored plumage, and they are also beloved worldwide for their medium-sized bodies, crests, and heavy bills.
Appearance:
As you know, northern cardinals are medium-sized songbirds with a body length of 8.3 to 9.3 inches, regardless of gender. Their wingspans are 9.8 to 12.2 inches long, and their weights vary from 1.19 to 2.29 oz.
Male northern cardinals are typically slightly larger than females. The male cardinals come with a crimson red colored plumage and have a black face mask over their eyes, extending to the upper chest.
Their feather color goes duller and darker on the back and wings. The female cardinals feature grayish-brown plumage with a slight reddish tint on the wings, crests, and tails.
The females’ face mask colors range from black to gray and are less visible than males. Both male and female cardinals boast bright coral-colored, cone-shaped, robust beaks and their pride, awe-inspiring crests.
However, baby cardinals share a similar feather color with female cardinals until they grow into adults. During the baby period, these young birds’ upper feather color is brown, and the lower plumage color is red-brown.
Besides, they boast brick-colored crests, foreheads, wings, and tails. Their legs and feet are dark pink-brown, and their Irish is also brown.
Habitat:
The prepossessing bird, the northern cardinal, resides in the eastern United States, Central America, and Mexico. They mostly populate in the southern portions and steadily increase in numbers in the northern areas of New England and some southern parts of Canada.
Alongside these areas, you can spot cardinals in some parts of Dakotas, Texas, southern Arizona, and California. These birdies are abundant in woods, open fields, suburban yards, gardens, and other green spaces.
Diet:
Cardinals aren’t fussy eaters, yet they gobble almost everything edible for birdies. Their favorite food is seeds, especially black oil sunflower seeds. Cardinals also munch on safflower seeds and nyjer.
Besides, they consume seeds from pine trees, sorrel, chickweed, foxtail, bindweed, smartweed, buttonweed, and diverse grasses. These birdies love devouring fruits like grapes, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, and dogwood fruit.
Alongside that, northern cardinals eat buds of trees like elm and chokecherry. FYI, as cardinals are non-migratory birds, they predominantly suffer from food scarcity during the winter.
And at that period, they literally consume everything they find. During the winter, Cardinals eat varied bugs and insects, including caterpillars, butterflies, beetles, crickets, flies, spiders, mealworms, and more. Not only that, but cardinals can also gobble carrions in extreme conditions.
Mating and Reproduction:
Cardinals’ breeding season starts in early spring. During that period, male cardinals spend hours attracting females and claiming their territories. Now, let’s discuss their courtship behavior.
Courtship Behavior:
Northern male cardinals perform various acts to lure females and convince them to mate. Male cardinals start their courtship behavior by standing upright while their heads and chests face the sky, displaying their vibrant red-colored plumage to females.
After exhibiting vivid feathers, male cardinals move their legs, shift from side to side, and finally begin singing. In short, they sing and dance simultaneously to attract female cardinals. Sometimes, females reciprocate, but mostly, they don’t.
Mating & Nesting:
After choosing mating partners, cardinals tend to mate for life as they are predominantly monogamous. Both males and females share equal responsibilities to keep their families secure.
For breeding, females build the nests while males collect the nesting materials, including small twigs, strips of bark, grasses, and leaves. They work together for about three to nine days to complete their nests.
Afterward, they copulate, and females lay three to four eggs. The width of these eggs remains 1.7 to 2 cm, and these eggs boast buffy, grayish, or greenish white shells with pale gray or brown dots.
However, after laying eggs, female cardinals incubate those googs for twelve to thirteen days to hatch. Afterward, baby cardinals come out of eggs.
Now, we will discuss the growth, lifestyle, feeding habits, and other relevant factors of cardinals as babies in the following section.
Baby Northern Cardinals: Everything You Need To Know About
As you know, female cardinals lay three to four eggs; unfortunately, all eggs don’t hatch. Cardinals usually have two to three babies in each brood.
Size & Appearance:
Each baby bird weighs only 3.5g at birth, but they grow quickly and gain two to three grams of weight every day for the first week. After a month, those babies become juveniles and weigh nearly the same as adult cardinals.
Speaking of their appearance, baby cardinals are born naked and feature some delicate grayish color covering their feather tracts. At birth, baby birdies remain blind, and their skin looks somewhat yellowish.
After spending 7 consecutive days, baby cardinals enter the phase of becoming juveniles and grow their brown-gray juvenile plumage. This plumage is known as pin feathers.
Molting & The Secret Of Feather Color:
These birdies molt away their first feathers during the winter and grow brown and red plumage based on gender. Juveniles get their feather colors from two pigment types: melanin & carotenoids.
While melanin helps cardinals develop black, brown, gray, and orange colors, carotenoids assist these birds in growing vibrant red-colored feathers. During the juvenile period, cardinals look light brown, and their tails remain short and appear a rusty red.
Feeding:
After coming out of eggs, baby cardinals can’t devour food on their own like adult birds, and they need to rely on their parents to eat food.
Hence, male and female cardinals feed their chicks around eight times daily. Mainly, males collect food for the young, and females feed their babies. They feed baby cardinals soft-bodied insects such as caterpillars.
Sometimes, male cardinals unknowingly feed other birds’ hatchlings, assuming their own babies. It happens because baby cardinals’ feeding habit remains intense during the first few days after the eggs hatch.
And thus, males enter into a period of hectic food gathering and feeding. So, they commit the mistake of feeding other birds’ babies frequently.
Both male and female cardinals feed their own babies for a couple of days, extending up to 70 days. Once those baby birds fledge and become juveniles, their parents stop feeding them, and juveniles leave their families.
Northern Cardinals’ Lifespan:
Normally, cardinals can live for three years in the wild, and some are recorded to live up to 25 years. The longest recorded lifespan of a cardinal is 28 and half a year.
However, on average, cardinals have a lifespan of about 3 to 5 years. But all cardinals don’t enjoy such a long life as some get preyed upon by hawks, owls, house cats, and other predatory animals.
So, this was all about how cardinals live, mate, thrive, and populate in diverse environments. Now we will look at other birds widely known as cardinal types.
Cardinal Types: Explore All The Wild Cardinals Alongside The Northern One
Below, we have shared comprehensive data regarding various cardinals, some of which don’t belong to the cardinalidae family yet are known as cardinals. So, let’s inspect them.
01. Vermilion-Cardinal (Venezuelan Cardinal):
- Family: Cardinalidae
- Genus: Cardinalis
- Binomial Name: Cardinalis Phoeniceus
- Other Name: Venezuelan Cardinal
- Size: 19 cm
- Residence: Northern Venezuela & Northeastern Colombia
- Diet: Fleshy Fruits, Invertebrates & Seeds
- Lifespan: 3-4 Years
Less famous than northern cardinals but derived from the same cardinalidae family, the vermilion cardinal, aka Venezuelan cardinal, can draw your attention with its stunning plumage and enigmatic physical characteristics.
That said, let’s discuss their appearance, habitat, breeding, and other behavioral traits.
Appearance:
The vermilion cardinals are 19 cm long and have long crown feathers regardless of sex. The male vermilion cardinal features red plumage, but the plumage color may vary and goes from bright to dusky in contrast.
The lower portion of its gray bill also sports a narrow black band. The female vermilion cardinal contains a gray crown and red feathers, and the beak area has white patches on its gray plumageb.
The female vermilion cardinal’s underparts are grayish brown, and the juveniles resemble the same color pattern as the females but boast brighter brown feathers.
Habitat:
The vermilion cardinal is the inhabitant of two distinct areas: one area starts from the northern Venezuelan state of Lara and the Guajira peninsula in northeastern Colombia.
The other is located in eastern Venezuela, which includes Sucre state, containing the Margarita island and Anzoategui state. This bird lives in semi-arid shrublands, where they find fleshy fruits, invertebrates, and seeds to eat.
Breeding:
The vermilion cardinal’s breeding season starts in June and ends in early august. During this period, vermilion cardinals are reportedly laying three to four eggs.
However, after laying eggs, females incubate the eggs and brood the hatchlings, but both males and females feed their young.
Lifespan:
The vermilion cardinals come with a short lifespan of about three to four years, while most northern cardinals typically have a longer lifespan than vermilions.
02. Pyrrhuloxia (Desert Cardinal):
- Family: Cardinalidae
- Genus: Cardinalis
- Binomial Name: Cardinalis Sinuatus
- Other Name: Desert Cardinal
- Size: 21 cm
- Residence: Arizona, New Mexico & Texas
- Diet: Fruits, Seeds & Berries
- Lifespan: 8 Years
Pyrrhuloxia, aka desert cardinal, is another bird derived from the same cardinalidae family and shares many similarities with the northern cardinals in appearance, behaviors, and calls.
Below, we briefly describe its physical characteristics and other attributes to help you comprehend these birdies. So, let’s get started.
Appearance:
Pyrrhuloxia tends to be 21 cm long, and its weight ranges from 24 g to 43 g. The male desert cardinal features gray plumage with a red face, crest, tail, and a stripe at the breast. It also features a yellow-colored parrot-like, stout, and rounded bill.
Speaking of female pyrrhuloxia, this bird boasts buffy gray feathers, and its red patches are less vibrant than males. Another distinguishable feature is its bill which is diagnostically shaped.
Habitat:
The pyrrhuloxia resides in the desert scrub of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Some desert cardinals tend to stay in some areas of California as well.
They choose these places as habitats due to the abundance of food sources. FYI, they love consuming fruits, seeds, and berries like the northern cardinals.
Breeding & Nesting:
The pyrrhuloxia’s breeding season starts in Mid-March and ends in Mid-August. When their mating season begins, the male and female desert cardinal build their nests using twigs, grass, bits, or tree barks.
They give their nests a bowl or cup-like shape; mostly female birds construct the nests. Afterward, they copulate, and the female bird lays three to four eggs with white shells with gray or green specks.
The female pyrrhuloxia sits on those eggs for 13 to 14 days to let the eggs hatch. In the meantime, the male bird patrols its territory fends off intruders, and collects food for the family.
Once those eggs hatch, hatchlings take up to one month before fledging and foraging for food. But until then, their parents feed them and take care of them.
Lifespan:
The average lifespan of desert cardinals is eight years in the wild. However, it may vary depending on various factors.
03. Red-Crested Cardinal (Brazilian Cardinal):
- Family: Thraupidae
- Genus: Paroaria
- Binomial Name: Paroaria Coronata
- Other Names: Brazilian Cardinal, Southern Cardinal
- Size: 19.05 cm
- Residence: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Hawaii & Puerto Rico
- Diet: Fruits, Seeds & Insects
- Lifespan: 6 Years
Derived from the tanager (Thraupidae) family, this red-crested cardinal, aka Brazilian cardinal, isn’t related to the cardinalidae family yet resembles many characteristics of northern cardinals.
As such, it is also a medium-sized songbird and has the same cardinal diet described below.
Appearance:
Unlike northern cardinals, male and female Brazilian cardinals are 7.5 inches long and feature similar plumage. They have dark gray feathers on their neck and their stomachs.
Their heads, crests, and upper breasts are bright red. Besides, their bills are silver gray and have dark legs. But during the juvenile period, these birds feature brown-colored heads, crests, and upper breasts, and their bill color remains dark instead of silver gray.
Habitat:
The Brazilian cardinal resides in Argentina, Bolivia & indeed, southern Brazil, which is why many people call this birdie the southern cardinal. Alongside these places, the red-crested cardinal is native to Paraguay, Uruguay, Hawaii & Puerto Rico.
They love to venture into semi-open areas covered with shrubs and trees. In short, these birdies prefer staying in degraded forests and tropical shrub land where they can effortlessly find fruits, insects, and seeds to devour.
Nesting & Mating:
The red-crested cardinals are social and found in pairs or small family groups. These birds are monogamous like northern cardinals and mate for life.
Their breeding season begins in October and runs through November. During this period, males attract females by displaying courtship behaviors, which include strutting, fanning their tails, and clicking the bills.
The pair maintains contact with the help of vocalization as well. After pairing up, the male red-crested cardinal constructs a cup-shaped nest using grass, twigs, plant fiber, and fur. Male Brazilian cardinal builds the nest in the tree’s fork, which stays 6 to 20 feet above the ground.
After building the nest, male and female red-crested cardinals copulate, and the female lays 2 to 5 eggs each breeding season. They raise one to two broods each year. However, after laying eggs, the female bird incubates those eggs for 12 to 13 days.
Once the eggs hatch, both males and females take care of the baby birds until they become juveniles in the next two to three weeks and leave the nest. Juvenile red-crested cardinals stay with the family until they grow up and find their mates.
Lifespan:
The red-crested cardinal can live around three to six years in the wild, and these birdies have the most extended recorded lifespan of about 13 years.
04. Yellow-Billed Cardinal:
- Family: Thraupidae
- Genus: Paroaria
- Binomial Name: Paroaria Capitata
- Size: 16.5 cm
- Residence: Hawaii’s Islands, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, & Argentina
- Diet: Fruits, Seeds & Flowers
The yellow-billed cardinals share a similarity in appearance with the red-crested cardinals. Not only that, but they also come from the same bird family called tanager.
Now, let’s discuss their appearance briefly, and later on, we will talk about their habitat and mating traits. So, let’s get started.
Appearance:
Yellow-billed cardinals are 16.5 cm long, and their weight ranges from 17 to 24.5 g. These birdies are famous for their redheads and namesake yellow beaks.
The yellow-billed cardinals have black underparts, a white collar at the neck’s back, white feathers on the undersides, a black chin and throat, and brown-pink legs. The females come with gray with brown-colored heads.
Habitat:
The yellow-billed cardinals are found throughout Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. But they were first introduced to Hawaii’s islands.
The benefits these birdies get by residing in those areas are these places full of food sources they love to consume.
FYI, yellow-billed cardinals prefer eating seeds, fruits, and flowers. And
so, you can find them mostly on grassy fields and shrubby areas.
Nesting & Breeding:
Yellow-billed cardinals make bowl-shaped nests using small sticks and fibers. After building their nests, they copulate in the breeding season, which starts in October and runs through February.
After mating, the female bird lays two to four white or cream-colored eggs with brown streaks. Then it sits on those eggs for 13 to 15 days to help them hatch.
Once those eggs hatch, the hatchling fledges the nest after 10 to 12 consecutive days. Then, yellow-billed cardinals mate and raise another brood, typically raising two to four broods per year.
05. Masked Cardinal:
- Family: Thraupidae
- Genus: Paroaria
- Binomial Name: Paroaria Nigrogenis
- Size: 16 cm
- Residence: Trinidad, Northern Venezuela & Northeastern Colombia
- Diet: Fruits, Seeds, Berries & Insects
Like the yellow-billed and red-crested cardinals, the masked cardinals aren’t also related to the cardinalidae family.
They are derived from the tanager family yet share similar shape and behavioral traits to northern cardinals. Let’s learn about them in detail through the following section.
Appearance:
The masked cardinals are 16 cm long; they are medium-sized birds featuring red, black, and white patches regardless of gender. Masked cardinals have a red hood, throat, black mask, back, and tail.
They also contain white underparts, and their bills come in white and black color. But during the juvenile period, these birdies have different colored plumage.
Juvenile masked cardinals feature yellowish throats, gray heads, backs, tails, and white underparts. Their legs and beaks remain black.
Habitat:
The masked cardinals reside in Trinidad, northern Venezuela, and northeastern Colombia. You can spot them near water in riverine forests, savanna, lowlands, and scrub.
Unfortunately, no study hasn’t been conducted on their diet and mating behavior. But some birders believe they resemble northern cardinals in diet and courtship traits.
06. Red-Cowled Cardinal:
- Family: Thraupidae
- Genus: Paroaria
- Binomial Name: Paroaria Dominicana
- Size: 18 cm
- Residence: Brazil
- Diet: Berries, Seeds & Insects
The red-cowled cardinal belongs to the tanager family and features distinctly different physical characteristics than the northern cardinal.
Let’s learn about this bird’s other information related to habitat, behavior, diet, and more.
Appearance:
The red-cowled cardinal is 18 cm long and features no crest. Alongside that, it has other distinguishable physical attributes. As such, a red-cowled cardinal boasts a red head and throat.
Plus, it has a white abdomen, a gray back with a black mottled pattern, a black tail, and wings with white patches. This birdie also has brown eyes, a gray-brown beak, and dark-brown legs.
Males and females are almost identical; the slight difference between male and female red-cowled cardinals is that males are comparatively larger and have brighter red throats than females.
But during the juvenile phase, their bright red throats are less visible, and their throats look more yellowish with dotted red patches.
Habitat:
This bird is an inhabitant of Brazil, but it was first introduced to Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo. The red-cowled cardinal is prevalent in urban areas, and you can find them in pairs or groups of large flocks near dry to semi-humid areas and woodlands.
They choose such places due to the availability of seeds, berries, and insects they love to consume. Lastly, like the masked cardinals, the breeding period of red-cowled cardinals is unknown.
07. Crimson-Fronted Cardinal:
- Family: Thraupidae
- Genus: Paroaria
- Binomial Name: Paroaria Baeri
- Size: 16.5 cm
- Residence: Brazil
- Diet: Fruits & Insects
Derived from the tanager family, the crimson-fronted cardinal is another bird many birders get astounded with its appearance.
Its piercing whistles always attract bird watchers, and so does its behavior. Let’s find out its other information through the following sections.
Appearance:
The crimson-fronted cardinal is 16.5 cm long and comes with a black head and back. Its underparts consist of white feathers, while its forehead and throat have red-colored plumage.
Some subspecies of this bird contain black throats and red mustache stripes. However, these birdies feature brown throats and gray back when they are juveniles.
Habitat:
The crimson-fronted cardinal is found in Brazil; these birds’ habitats remain subtropical or tropical moist lowlands and shrublands. In essence, they forage for food in forests located along rivers.
Speaking of food, they love devouring insects and few fruits. Researchers don’t know much about their diet yet.
Breeding:
Researchers don’t have enough information regarding their breeding period, like the crimson-fronted cardinals’ diet.
Even so, they believe their mating season starts in October and runs through January, and the females lay eggs in mid-December.
08. Red-capped Cardinal:
- Family: Thraupidae
- Genus: Paroaria
- Binomial Name: Paroaria Gularis
- Size: 16.5 cm
- Residence: Guianas, Venezuela, Eastern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia & Brazil
- Diet: Rice, Seeds, Berries, Fruits, Pellets, Greens, Boiled Eggs, Insects & Other Arthropods
- Lifespan: 8-12 Years
The red-capped cardinal belongs to paroaria, a genus of the tanager family, aka Thraupidae. This small south American bird can trick many bird watchers and make them believe they are spotting northern cardinals when they aren’t.
Anyway, let’s check out what attributes distinguish this bird distinctly from northern cardinals.
Appearance:
The red-capped cardinals are 16.5 cm long and weigh around 22 g. They feature crimson heads, shiny black backs and tails, and white underparts. Their throats are black, their beaks are black and gray, and their legs are dark gray.
Their irises are brownish-orange. Juveniles have the same physical features, but their underparts are dusky brown, and their heads are deep brownish. Their bills are black, and irises are pale, dull, creamy-yellow.
Habitat:
The red-capped cardinals are endemic to the lowlands of Guianas, Venezuela, Eastern Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. You can also find them in eastern and northern Bolivia and Brazil.
These birds love venturing in tropical lowlands, swamps, mangroves, oxbow lakes, and other semi-open areas near water.
Diet:
The red-capped cardinals feed on rice, seeds, berries, fruits, pellets, greens, boiled eggs, insects, and other arthropods. You can say their meal chart is quite more extensive than the northern cardinals’ diet.
Breeding & Nesting:
Like the northern cardinals, the red-capped cardinals are also monogamous and mate for life. Their breeding season begins in June and lasts through September, but according to a new study, their breeding season may extend to February and March.
Before the start of mating season, the red-capped cardinals build their shallow open cup nests, each of which is 9 to 10 cm wide, 7cm high, and 4 cm deep. These birdies build their nests using rootlets, twigs, and ferns.
After constructing their nests, red-capped cardinals mate, and females lay two to three eggs, varying in color, ranging from whitish to dull olive with brown specks and blotches.
Each egg measures about 21.5mm x 16mm. Last but not least, the red-capped cardinals are parasitized by shiny cowbirds.
Lifespan:
The average lifespan of red-capped cardinals is eight years in the wild. However, if they are kept in captivity and nurtured well, they may live up to twelve years.
These are all about cardinal types; now, we will discuss cardinal’s look-alike in the following section below.
Cardinal Look-Alike Birds Found Out Into The Wild:
The northern cardinals share similar physical characteristics with many birds. Consequently, numerous birders get confused and assume these birds as cardinals when they aren’t.
So, if you want to avoid committing such a mistake, this guide will help you. That said, let’s get straight into it.
01. Summer Tanager:
Like the vermilion cardinal, the summer tanager also boasts a bright red-colored plumage, resembling the northern cardinal. But it has comparatively longer tails and a pointed beak with a black tip that doesn’t match the cardinal.
Summer tanagers live on the edges of open forests covered with deciduous trees or woodlands. They choose this kind of habitat to find and consume varied insects.
Physical Characteristics:
- Length: 7.1 To 8.0 In.
- Weight: 1 oz.
- Wingspan: 11 To 11.8 In.
02. Scarlet Tanager:
The scarlet tanager is another bird that shares similar physical attributes with northern cardinals. Hence, many bird watchers face difficulties distinguishing between the scarlet tanager and the northern cardinal.
But they can differentiate these two bird types easily by inspecting their feather colors. FYI, the scarlet tanager features orange-red colored plumage with black wings in contrast to northern cardinals who have bright red feathers.
Apart from that, their body measurements are distinctly different, as do their habitats and diets. Below, we have shared scarlet tanager’s physical attributes to help you understand.
Physical Characteristics:
- Length: 6.3 To 7.1 In.
- Weight: 0.8 To 1.3 oz.
- Wingspan: 9.8 To 11.8 In.
03. Flame-Colored Tanager:
The flame-colored tanager is derived from the same cardinalidae family of northern cardinals. This bird is prevalent in Texas & Arizona. Speaking of its color, it’s got an orange-colored head, ranging from red to pale yellow.
Besides, a flame-colored tanager contains brownish cheeks and black bills. It loves living in coniferous, pine, and oak forests in the mountains as these places remain full of fruits and insects the flame-colored tanager prefers eating.
Physical Attributes:
- Length: 6.7 To 7.3 In.
- Weight: 1.2 oz.
- Wingspan: 12 To 12.5 In.
04. Hepatic Tanager:
The Hepatic tanager also has similarities with cardinals in physical appearance. But its distinguishable features are its grayish red back and gray patch located on the cheek.
This beautiful bird resides in the southwestern United States and central Arizona. It predominantly chooses scrub oak forests, cactus-covered deserts, and similar places as habitats.
The hepatic tanager primarily feeds on insects, berries, and other fruits. That means its food habit also matches the cardinal’s diet.
Physical Characteristics:
- Length: 5.9 To 6.7 In.
- Weight: 0.8 To 1.3 oz.
- Wingspan: 10.2 To 11.4 In.
05. Red Crossbill:
The red crossbill, found in coniferous forests of North America, can trick avid bird watchers and make them think they are watching cardinals when they spot the beautiful red crossbill.
So, how do red crossbills delude numerous birders? Well, the credit goes to their red feathers, brownish-red wings, short tails, and thick bills.
When these birds conduct flights, they appear meager, and from a far distance, they look precisely like cardinals. However, birders can differentiate this bird from a cardinal with the help of a thorough inspection.
Physical Characteristics:
- Length: 7.5 To 7.9 In.
- Weight: 1.4 To 1.9 oz.
- Wingspan: 10.6 To 11.4 In.
06. Rose Finch:
The rose finch is also often mistaken for the cardinal due to its rosy red face, brown streaks on the back, and cardinal-like belly and tail. This bird primarily lives in forests or woodlands of Europe and Asia.
Lastly, like the cardinals, it also loves gobbling various seeds. So, you must thoroughly inspect its physical characteristics to distinguish it from cardinals. That said, let’s have a look at its physical measurement.
Physical Characteristics:
- Length: 5.4 To 5.9 In.
- Weight: 0.74 To 0.92 oz.
- Wingspan: 8.5 To 9.0 In.
07. Red-Billed Firefinch:
The Red-Billed Firefinch comes with the cardinal’s signature red-colored plumage. But unlike cardinals, red-billed fire finches boast a tint of orange plumage and brown wings.
Besides, their bills are pink and have yellow eye rings. These birdies love staying in brushwood and woodland areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking of their diet, they feed on seeds and insects. Now let’s check out their body measurement.
Physical Characteristics:
- Length: 3.5 To 4.0 In.
- Weight: 0.25 To 0.42 oz.
- Wingspan: 4.9 To 5.5 In.
08. Vermilion Flycatcher:
The Vermilion flycatcher also features a similar coloring to the northern cardinal. The males come with cardinal-like red crowns and chests. But their underparts are brownish.
However, you can differentiate this bird from a cardinal by listening to its call or looking at its physical features described below.
Physical Characteristics:
- Length: 5.0 To 5.5 In.
- Weight: 0.4 To 0.5 oz.
- Wingspan: 9.4 To 9.8 In.
These are all the cardinal look-alike birds that can confuse you while you are in the wild searching for cardinals. Now, let’s discuss some interesting facts about this beautiful, medium-sized songbird.
Some Factors Regarding Cardinals You Should Know About:
Below, we will explore some fun facts about cardinals and look for the answers to various questions you might have as a cardinal watcher. Let’s begin.
Feeding Habit:
Cardinals prefer eating in the morning and evening. Although ornithologists don’t know why they follow such a food-consumption routine, they believe it’s because they don’t need to compete with many birds for food while eating at dawn and dusk.
Hence, if you want to attract these birdies to your backyards, you should keep your bird feeders full of black oil sunflower seeds during these prime feeding times.
Bald Cardinals:
You may have witnessed a bald cardinal or heard about it from your friend and wondered, is there really any bald cardinal? Yes, there are many bald cardinals in the wild.
Cardinals go bald due to molting; they molt at least once a year to replenish their awe-inspiring red-colored plumage. FYI, cardinals lose some or all of their feathers for a while during molting.
And they lose their crest first when the molting process begins, and that’s why they appear bald. We hope now you understand why these birdies go bald.
Vocalization:
Usually, male birds can vocalize in bird species, but when it comes to northern cardinals, both male and female birdies can sing. Females prefer producing melodious calls to signal males to bring food for female cardinals.
In contrast, males sing to impress their mates during the courtship period. They also yield high-pitched calls to fend off enemies and defend their territories.
Another noticeable fact is that females can sing more songs than males and generate dozens of diverse tunes. Both male and female vocal patterns vary based on their location.
Migration:
As you may know, numerous birds migrate from one place to another in search of food, especially during the winter. But cardinals don’t, nor do they fall into the migratory bird category.
Instead of leaving their habitats, cardinals stay in the same place with their families and eat anything edible they find during the fall.
Recognition:
The northern cardinal holds the pride of being the official state bird of seven western states of the USA, including North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and west Virginia.
Not only that, but it’s also known as the Virginia nightingale or winter redbird, as it is incredibly noticeable against snow in the winter. Apart from all these, the cardinal is a famous mascot for many sports items.
It represents two professional sports teams and also many colleges. You can also find cardinal logos on many items. So, you can say cardinal gets admiration throughout the USA.
Territorial Trait:
Although cardinals are known for being social and friendly behavior, they sometimes possess furious traits towards other birds, especially during the mating season.
Their hormone levels increase at this time, making them territorial, so they attack any intruders they find around their areas. They remain so aggressive that some cardinals even indulge in a fight with their own reflection when they notice it in the mirror.
Yellow Cardinal:
Cardinals typically come in either red or brown colors, but some birders claim to witness yellow cardinals out in the wild. What do you think? Do they really exist?
Yes, yellow cardinals exist, but they aren’t separate bird species or cardinal types. When cardinals lack red or brown pigments, their plumage colors turn yellow or orange. Consequently, these birdies appear with yellow feathers.
So, these are all the known and mysterious facts about cardinals. We hope you enjoyed reading this section.
Cessation:
Cardinals are a centerpiece of attraction among birders for their melodious calls, lucrative plumage, and curiosity-stimulating behaviors. Bird watchers admire these birdies, and people consider them a symbol of love, devotion, courtship, and monogamy.
For their physical and behavioral traits, many wanderers spend a whopping amount of time dwelling in the wild in search of these enigmatic birds. Yeah, cardinals are that precious to them.
However, that’s all for this insightful content. We hope we can deliver all the information about the cardinals you were searching for. If we could, we would appreciate you sharing this article with your friends on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.
Image Source:
- En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermilion_cardinal
- Oiseaux.net/photos
- Canva.com/photos