A bit of Heaven
by Norma A. Hubbard, photos : Gail Harrison
Winter can feel quite long some years – although, maybe not this year – nonetheless, it is nice to have colourful birds to brighten our short, cold days. American poet, Emily Dickinson once said, “I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven”. I love birds and, without doubt, the beautiful red Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinals) is a welcome sight any time of the year.
Northern Cardinals live here all year round and usually defend a territory – especially in the spring. It is common to see either males or females ‘attacking’ their own reflections in windows, or anything else reflective, thinking they are protecting their territory. Males are particularly aggressive towards other males in early spring, however this aggression usually diminishes by midsummer, once nests are established. In winter (although I have never seen it) cardinals will flock together for warmth. The oldest recorded age of a cardinal is 15 years and 9 months.
The female cardinal, while not as striking as the bright red male, is still quite a lovely bird. Females are mostly brown with red-orange accents and the same red-orange bill as the males, along with the fancy crest (the crest is the feathers that stick up on the head). In addition, like their male counterparts, female cardinals are wonderful songbirds (unlike most other female song birds). Males are regularly seen and heard singing from the tallest branches in their territories. Females communicate to males while building and sitting on their nests. The females actually have a more complex song than the males.
After searching for a week or two for the perfect location, the building of nests can be a lengthy process, taking anywhere from three to nine days to complete. The female usually selects the ideal site in shrubs. While nest heights vary – from one foot to 15 feet (about 4 m) – nests are commonly made in dense foliage and are not used more than once. The female does most of the work. Cardinals have 1-2 broods a season with only 2-5 eggs per clutch. By the end of summer, approximately 80% of pairs remain together.
Northern Cardinals tend to forage on low branches and on the ground. They eat mostly fruit and seeds, such as wild grape, sumac, corn, dogwood and grasses. They also eat insects, like crickets, flies, spiders or beetles, just to name a few, and they will feed their young hatchlings mostly insects until they leave the nest. Both males and females feed their young. Cardinals will visit home feeders, but they are shy birds. In the summer, I often see them at dusk after most other birds have left the feeders for the night. They also come to the birdbath for water.
Cornell Labs lists Northern Cardinals as ‘least concern’ as their numbers have remained constant for several years, which is a good thing. So in these cold bleak days of February, if you see the bright red plumage of a male Northern Cardinal, stop for a moment and enjoy this little bit of Dickinson’s heaven on earth.
Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology [online]