Northern Cardinal

Photo by Rhododendrites on Wikimedia

Cardinalis cardinalis
 
I remember very distinctly the first time I ever saw a Northern Cardinal in real life. I was in my mid-20s and was taking a train from DC to New York and there he was, flying next to the train! I was so excited! My sister, who had lived on the east coast for some time, at this point, was unimpressed, but I had only ever seen them on Christmas cards!

Cardinals are common backyard birds in their range, which includes the Eastern United States and Mexico, plus parts of Southern Arizona and the tip of Baja California. They nest in shrubs, and prefer open woodlands, which is how I would describe most suburban neighborhoods. They are seed eaters, so would find bird feeders attractive.

Cardinals are rather notoriously noisy and that is partly because the female also sings, calling to the male from the nest, probably reminding him to bring back food for her and the kids. Most female songbirds don’t really have calls, and I must admit, I love the idea of the female Cardinal nagging her mate.
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Now that I live in Kansas, they are probably the most common bird in my area. They are usually the first bird that pops up on Merlin, but I am still excited to see these noisy, bright red birds. Do people really become blasé about seeing them? I hope I never do.

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