The Northern Cardinal

The beautiful Northern Cardinal’s behavior becomes fierce during the breeding season when he begins to protect his territory against intruders, even unfeathered ones such as car mirrors and windows.

Description: Medium-sized songbird with a long tail and distinctive head crest; black face and chin mask surround an orange-red bill. Males and females differ in color with males being bright “Christmas” red; female coloring is duller red-brown. Also called Redbirds.

When: Year-round resident of Louisiana. Cardinals do not migrate.

Where: Frequent backyard visitors to bird feeders. Males and females often travel together.

Breeding: Cardinals do not molt into breeding plumage as do most songbirds, therefore they remain beautiful all year round. The males and females mate for life.

Feeding: Cardinals love seeds, especially sunflower seeds and weed seeds. Their diet also consists of insects, spiders, berries, and wild fruits.

Interesting facts: Cardinals were considered a prized cage bird until the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 banned the practice. The Northern Cardinal’s name refers to the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church who wear bright red robes and caps.  A group of Cardinals has many collective nouns, including “conclave” and “vatican.”

The Northern Cardinal is one of the most beautiful birds in my backyard, and the most common. It is found throughout the southern and eastern United States in backyards, parks, woodlots and forest edges. It is a beloved backyard bird for most folks who never paid attention to a bird until they witnessed the brilliant red of the male Cardinal. The Cardinal’s continued popularity is proven by its image appearing on yearly holiday cards, chinaware and kitchen towels. Beautiful birds for sure, but smart? I’ve read how smart Crows are at using twigs as a tool to get food, but Cardinals? Maybe not so much…

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not trying to malign the Cardinal. There is nothing more stunning than seeing my green backyard shrubbery filled with the bright red of several male Cardinals at Christmas time. These same Cardinals are the first birds to visit my feeder every morning to crack sunflower seeds with their sharp orange-red bills, making for a cheery way to start the day. It’s just that at this time of year, during the breeding season when the male Cardinal starts to act like a kamikaze fighter pilot on a suicide mission, hurling himself with wild abandon into the window again and again and again—you have to wonder if this behavior gave rise to the expression “bird brain.”

What the Cardinal is doing with this determined antic is guarding his territory from an intruder who unfortunately is himself. Cardinals are highly territorial songbirds who sing from the tallest tree or rooftop to declare their territory and just where that territory is. When they see their reflection in a window or mirror, well…

One would think the Cardinal would die or break his neck with this dogged behavior but it rarely happens. With no apparent armor on, he seems to be indestructible. Of course, there are times when the interloper really is another Cardinal trying to poach his territory.

But then the Cardinal is not alone in his misguided behavior. American Robins are known to be window attackers too. Several years ago I went with a friend to her parents’ home in Montana.  When I went outside for a walk I noticed a Mountain Bluebird flying around the yard. The Bluebird would land on the drivers’ side mirror of the parked car and then proceed to peck at his reflection in the mirror. It pecked the hell out of that mirror for at least forty minutes at a time. Then he would come back the next day to take up the same cause.

Cardinals usually quit the “attacking” behavior once their young leave the nest. While this behavior is short lived and restricted to the breeding season, the window dive-bombing can be annoying, especially if it occurs outside your bedroom. Ways to alleviate or at least minimize the problem include decreasing the reflectivity of your windows and creating a physical barrier:

•  Pull down your shades or close the curtains. White curtains or blinds can make it difficult for birds to see their reflections.

•  Put screens in windows to make the glass less reflective.

•  Break up the reflection by hanging something in a window like a window catcher or a decorative window film (adhesive-backed cut-outs of hawks or falcons in flight to attach to the outer surface of the windows). Wide strips of tape/ribbon placed every few inches on the outside of the window can be effective.

•  Windows can be soaped during the nesting season.

•  Cover car mirrors on parked cars with paper or plastic bags (held with rubber bands), or move the car to a different spot if possible.

•  Move houseplants away from glass.

•  Install outdoor blinds on the outside windows.

•  Build a frame of fine-mesh netting (available at garden centers or hardware stores) to put over the window (mounted with shelf brackets).

•  Since Cardinals are territorial with their food sources during breeding season, consider placing feeders further away from windows.

Happy birding!