Monthly Archives: March 2022

As the male Cardinal establishes his territory, he also courts the female by feeding her.  This is one of the most rewarding behaviors to observe as you watch your feeders.  Keep in mind that the Cardinal couple are the first at your feeders in the morning and the last at night.  I have observed them as daylight is just breaking, coming to breakfast as a pair.

Once the Cardinal pair have bonded, nest building can begin. Cardinal nests are not created inside of nest boxes so there is nothing that you can offer in that regard.   The pair search for potential sites together, carrying nest material in their beaks and calling back and forth to each other.  They will use many types of trees and shrubs, including hawthorn, cedar, spruce, pines, hemlock, elms and sugar maples to name a few. Nests can be as low as one foot off the ground and have been also seen at 15 feet high.

The female Cardinal does most of the nest building, although the male may supply her with materials.  The nest cup has four layers: coarse twigs covered inside with a leafy mat and then lined with grapevine bark and then grasses, stems, rootlets, and pine needles. The nest typically takes 3 to 9 days to build; the finished product is 2-3 inches tall and 4 inches across, with an inner diameter of about 3 inches. Cardinals usually don’t use their nests more than once.  The outer layer of twigs are bent by the female until they are pliable and she is able to form them around her body.

Think of these building materials as you look at your yard and consider keeping them available, perhaps even offering them in one area where you can watch the female come to get supplies.  I have a few areas in my yard that are designated stick pile places dedicated for this purpose.

For both reasons of shelter from inclement weather and for nest sites, consider planting a small group of evergreens to help Cardinals in the future years.  You can go to https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants for help in choosing plants that will work best in your habitat. Offering a consistent supply of quality seed and a fresh water supply will help your Cardinal couple achieve success in their nesting efforts.  Enjoy your birds!

With thanks to Wayne Hoch, Christopher Goodhue and Judy Timmerberg for their photos.

Nesting for Northern Cardinals begins with the male claiming territory.

Each year, I anticipate him singing in my yard, with the soonest date I have recorded being January 19^th.  That’s right, that early in the year.  Why is that?

Northern Cardinals do not migrate.  Being permanent residents, they can begin the nesting process early and choose the best nesting sites.  The song of the Northern Cardinal is extremely varied.  Sometimes, it starts with clear whistles that may have a few second in between them – “Cheer, cheer, cheer”.  Descriptions from field guides vary in how they describe the songs of Cardinals including “Birdie, birdie, birdie” and a much longer song “wooit, wooit, wooit, wooit, chew, chew, chew” where each “wooit” swings up and the “chew” swings down.  When he changes from high to low, the Cardinal starts with his right voice box and then the left, and you wouldn’t know it wasn’t a single whistle as opposed to coming from two voice boxes.  For rising sounds such as the “Wooit” the song starts left and then finishes right.

Lang Elliot is known for his study of bird song and aptly educates us when he says that most songs of the Cardinal are two-parted with one of the more well known songs being “what-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer, whoit, whoit, whoit”.  Each male has several phrases that they draw on and may combine them in ten or more patterns.

I have witnessed the male in my yard song one song from the top of the crabapple, and then fly to the birch where he starts with a completely different song, finishing on the neighbors’ maple with yet a third song of his choice.  Excellent entertainment for our ears.

If you are out listening in your neighborhood, you may hear the males counter-singing.  This is the equivalent of drawing a boundary line between their two territories.  Watch for them perched high on the top of prominent trees in order for their song to carry far and wide.  The males will counter-sing the exact same songs, referred to as matched counter-singing.  Scientists surmise that counter-singing is the equivalent to throwing an insult at your rival, a sign of intense interaction.

Just to make Cardinal song more exciting, female Cardinals sing with their males, usually from the nest.  More about that nest to follow.