Cardinalis cardinalis

Description

The male northern cardinal is a bright red bird with a red crest and a black face. The female northern cardinal has a brown body and red wings, tail, and crest. She has black on her face, but not as much as the male. Both sexes have a large, orange, seed-crushing bill. The young cardinal has a brown body and crest, a black bill, and red wings and tail.

Voice

The call of the northern cardinal is a hard "tik." They have a lot of songs, including "birdy birdy birdy" and "woit woit woit chew chew chew chew chew."

Breeding

April to October

Habitat

Northern cardinals live in thickets, gardens, towns, and the edge of forests.

Diet

These birds eat seeds, fruit, grain, insects, spiders, and snails.

Range

You can find northern cardinals in Mexico and the eastern half of the United States year-round.

Other Useful Information

Putting out sunflower seeds is an easy way to attract northern cardinals to your bird feeder.

Similar Species

The summer tanager looks a lot like the northern cardinal. However, it does not have any black on its body and it does not come to VT or NH.