Northern Cardinals
- The Northern Cardinal has been named the state bird by seven states, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia, making the cardinal the top choice for state bird.
- Cardinals mate for life; during courtship and nesting, the solicitous males are often seen feeding their mates.
- Male cardinals are very territorial, aggressively confronting rival males that trespass on their territory. This aggressiveness can become a nuisance when a male starts attacking his own reflection in your windows.
- Cardinals are year-round residents in their range across the eastern United States from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to the Mexican Border.
- The brightest colored males are the most successful at getting the best territories and the most food. Females seem to find them more attractive too, based on the brighter males’ higher reproductive rate.
For more information about cardinals, vist Bird Feeders Unlimited
Just saw your blog. It looks new. I hope you do more. I live in West Virginia. Do you have any tips for luring more Cardinals. We occasionally have one, but would like more.
I was told cardinals like fruit. Does this mean fresh fruit like apple slices? Or is there something store bought that won’t brown so quickly?
The best way to attract Cardinals (and other birds) is to provide them with the amenities that they look for: Cardinals are primarily seed feeders, that’s why they have those heavy conical beaks. They will eat fruit also; berries and grapes seem to be a favorite, and it probably doesn’t matter too much to them whether you put out fresh fruit or dried, but you probably would do just as well putting out a stationary seed feeder (pole mounted, not hanging). Mount your feeder at 5 to 6 feet above the ground, and provide the Cardinals with their favorite seeds: un-hulled black oil sunflower, black and gray stripe sunflower, safflower seeds and buckwheat.
Cardinals also prefer to feed where there is some nearby cover. Shrubs and trees should be about 15’ from the feeder, close enough to provide cover for the birds in case of alarm, but not so close that cats or other predators could use them to stage an ambush.
Provide a birdbath or other source of water: Birdbaths will often attract more birds than a feeder will. This isn’t just about water to drink. When a bird’s feathers get dirty they don’t function well when flying or in maintaining body temperature and protecting the birds from the elements. Cardinals will appreciate the access to water, and reward you by showing up in your yard more often.
Having said all that, remember that cardinals are highly territorial. You say you occasionally have one. Here’s what you may have going on: Cardinals mate for life. When a male cardinal establishes his territory, he will defend it fiercely from all other males. So if your yard is within the territory claimed by a male Cardinal, that bird will be willing to spend most of his time driving other Cardinals away. In that case, if you provide your Cardinals the amenities above, at least you’ll see a lot more of the pair that are claiming your yard as their own.