thewiseacres

Cardinals are among the most beautiful birds in the world.

Male Cardinal

With brilliant red  feathers, head crest and face mask, the male cardinal is the most stunning and popular of all songbirds.  The female is brown with reddish tinted wings, tail and head crest with a  bright orange-red bill.

Female Cardinal

Since cardinals do not migrate, if you establish an amenable habitat, you may have a cardinal family live in your  yard for many years.   The female will nest two or three times a year in  small trees, bushes and shrubs.

Cardinals are easy to attract because they are eager to dine at most any available bird feeder.  Seeds and fruits comprise 90 percent of the cardinal’s diet in  the fall and winter.   They will begin feeding early in the morning and they’ll keep returning until evening.  Sunflower seeds are the favorite food for Cardinals. They often sift through the entire mixture of seeds to search out the sunflower seeds before starting on the other seeds. Other seeds they enjoy are millet and safflower seeds.

Cardinals are very adaptable and can be found in hardwood forest habitats and urban backyards.  Like most birds, Cardinals prefer to have a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs in the area of the feeder to use as cover from predators.  They’ll often build their nest in evergreens or shrubs that face a feeding area.   The Cardinal’s main predators are hawks, squirrels and owls.

Don’t forget about the importance of a bird bath and bird bath heater for winter feeding.  To read more see blog; “Winter Birding in Minnesota“.

If you are looking for a bird watching destination in Minnesota, check out this bed and breakfast just west of Minneapolis.  You’ll find five distinct bird environments; lake, marsh, prairie, hardwood forest and agricultural fields.