The male cardinal is bright, crimson red, with a black face and coral/red beak. Females are a fawn like brown, with mostly grayish brown tones and a slight red color in their wings and tail feathers with a bright coral/red beak. Both have prominent raised crests and strong beaks. The young birds, both male and female, are the color of the mother until the fall when they will molt and grow their own adult feathers.

 

They grow to about 7.75 to 9.25in long. Adults weigh about 1.6oz. Their wing span is 10 to 12in long. The northern cardinal‘s habitat is woodland edges, fields, brushy undergrowths, suburbs, gardens, feeders with sunflower seeds, swamps, desert washes and riparian areas. They are mostly found in the east. They are also found in California, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Manitoba, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, Quebec, New York, New England, Mexico, Baja California and near the southern part of the United States.

 

The population has increased in some areas, but decreased to the point that they may be gone here in California. It is disappearing here because of habitat change. The habitat here is the wrong place for this kind of bird.

 

Their diet consists of weed seeds, grains, insects, fruits and sunflower seeds. They prefer their seed husked, but they are less selective when it comes to winter time when food is scarce. Cats, dogs, hawks and other sorts of animals eat adult northern cardinals. Their alarm is a short chirping sound. Then they fly toward the predator and try to scare it away.

 

Author: Everett H

Published: 05/2005