WILDLIFE IN
RYERSONS WOODS
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis

The bright red Cardinal was first found mainly in our southern states, but in the past 100 years, and especially since 1950, Cardinals have moved north and northwest along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Now you will see and hear them in Ryerson Woods and in backyards across the eastern half of the United States.

Cardinals look for a dense thicket, shrub or low branches of a tree to make their nest of twigs and grass. The edges of clearings, woodlands and gardens are ideal. There they can feed on seeds, leaf buds, flowers, berries and insects and dart back into the thicket for protection if they feel threatened. Mates for life, you will often see the male and female together, the male in a tree or on a birdfeeder; the female below digging among loose leaves for seeds or insects.

The Northern Cardinal is one of the easiest birds to identify. There are so few other bright red birds in North America. The male is almost all red with a tufted crown of feathers and a strong cone shaped beak that is ideal for crushing seeds. The female usually accompanies a male and is grayish brown tinged with olive and dull red, with the same tufted crown and coral beak as her mate. Their song is loud and clear, sung to each other from the tops of trees, especially before nesting begins.

Females lay 3 – 5 eggs and stay at the nest while her mate brings her food until the young birds hatch. In warmer climates, there may even be a second brood before the end of summer.

Though some Cardinals migrate, many stay year-round. The bright red plumage of the male Cardinal is so beautiful on a snowy day in winter! He will be sure to visit your birdfeeder if you put out some sunflowers, one of his favorite foods.

Here are some interesting facts about Cardinals:

• More states have adopted the Northern Cardinal as a state bird than any other bird: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
• In summer, up to one third of their diet is insects.
• In the 1800s, Cardinals were enjoyed as cage birds, sent to Northern states and Europe until 1918 when the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 was passed.
• Winter flocks of up to 60 or 70 birds have been seen.