From Opus

Revision as of 16:39, 3 October 2007

Cardinalis cardinalis

Photo by SulairDH
Photo taken: Atlanta, GA, USA

Identification

Male All red with black mask and chin. Wings have some gray. Red bill Female Brown overall with some red in wings, face, and tail. Red bill Juvenile Similar to female but bill is dark instead of red. All birds show a crest. Length: 7.75 inches Large, conical bill Crest Long tail Adult male:Bright red plumage, dullest on back and wings Black around base of bill Red bill Adult female:Reddish crest, wings and tail Brownish-gray upperparts Buffy underparts Red bill Juvenile like adult female but has dark bill and crest

Distribution

Northern Cardinal is a bird whose range has expanded northward in the last 100 years. Originally a bird of the Southeast, the Northern Cardinal's range expanded north and northwest along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. In 1886 this cardinal was found only occasionally north of the Ohio River. By 1895 it had reached the Great Lakes, and by 1910, it was found in southern Ontario.

Since the 1950s, expansion to the northeast has increased whereas dispersal to the northwest has slowed. The first documented Northern Cardinal nesting in Connecticut was in 1943; it reached Massachusetts in 1958, and has since reached the southern Maritime provinces of Canada. The Cardinal is limited in the West to areas where the annual precipitation is at least 16 inches. Nationally, centers of abundance for this cardinal are along the Mississippi River and along the Colorado and Guadalupe Rivers in Texas. Less-dense populations occur in the valleys of the Ohio, Arkansas, Brazos, and Red rivers.

Taxonomy

Habitat

Typical habitats are thickets and brushy areas, edges and clearings, riparian woodlands, parks, and residential areas.

Behaviour

Cardinals feed on a variety of foods including seeds, leaf buds, flowers, berries, and fruit. Up to one-third of its summer diet can be insects. Its winter diet is 90 percent vegetable matter, especially large seeds. Winter flocks can be very large, up to 60 or 70 individuals in areas of abundance. Cardinals are noted for their loud, clear whistled songs, often sung from a high treetop song post. Females will counter sing, duetting with males—usually after the males have established territories and before nesting begins. Local variations and accents have been noted in cardinal songs

External Links

• View more images of Northern Cardinal in the gallery