The Cardinalidae Cardinalis family of birds is a quirky family that is beloved by all of North America, where it is native.
These birds are so popular in the United States of America especially that they’re the state mascot bird of seven of the country’s 56 states!
Beyond that, they’re also the mascot bird for a lot of sports teams in the country.
They’re songbirds with frankly annoying calls but are so good for the ecosystem in a way that can only be experienced.
As you look out for them in your neighborhood, here are some interesting facts to know!
7 Amazing Cardinal Facts That Will Surprise You
Discover some interesting facts about your favorite red angry bird!
Male Cardinals May Sing 200 or More Songs Per Hour
I mentioned that Cardinals are songbirds, right? From that little tidbit, you can tell that they’re loud.
Songbirds are birds that belong to the order Passeriformes. They’re characterized by a few things including their small to medium size and vibrant songs.
While many songbirds are known for their beautiful, sweet melodies, most cardinals, unfortunately, aren’t.
That doesn’t stop them from being as loud as a packed stadium, though (little exaggeration there).
They’re especially loud during the breeding season, when the males sing as many as 200 songs in one hour!
Luckily for us all, their songs (or calls) are usually in the early mornings alone between 5 AM and 8 AM.
Surprisingly, the Northern Cardinal’s Original US Range Was Mostly Southern
Now, this is an interesting fact.
Did you know that cardinals are originally southern birds? Exactly! This is why the fact that there’s a “Northern Cardinal” may be bothering you.
If these birds are historically southern, why is there a Northern Cardinal?
The reason is simple!
You see, there are only seven birds in the world that are called “Cardinal”. That name is derived from the hats that Catholic bishops wear (when you look at the head of any cardinal, you’ll see the correlation).
The Northern Cardinal happens to be the most prominent (widely distributed) of the three cardinals, and it resides in North America with its cousins.
As for the other six birds with “cardinal” in their name, they live in South America.
Do you see where this is going?
NORTH America = NORTHERN Cardinal!
Cardinals Get Their Trademark Red Plumage From Their Food
One awesome thing about the Cardinals is their red plumage. They’re very easy to tell apart from other birds.
There’s even a Vermilion Cardinal with plumage that’s brighter than regular red!
So how did they get so red, such that taxonomists of old had to name them after Catholic Cardinal bishops who wear red from head to toe?
Carotenoids.
Cardinals are omnivorous. Most of their diet contains carotenoid pigments, a family of compounds consisting of more than 600 fat-soluble pigments responsible for many different colors in nature, such as red, yellow, and orange.
The more carotenoid pigments Cardinals ingest, the more vibrant red their feathers become!
Cardinals Eat Seeds From Bird Feeders
Cardinals enjoy seeds a lot in their diet. If not for the already established fact that they’re omnivorous (able to eat plants and living things), you would be forgiven for saying that they’re herbivorous (able to eat plants alone).
Cardinals enjoy foraging for food on the ground. They’d rather eat insects and seeds off the ground than from anywhere else.
However, temperature has forced them to adapt to eating from bird feeders which many caring North Americans set up in their backyards.
Winter feeding of cardinals by locals with bird feeders has helped them survive to this day because they’re small birds that can easily go extinct.
Give Cardinals seeds today!
The red color of the Cardinal’s feathers
Did you know that cardinals aren’t born with their red color?
They’re in fact born with a grayish-purple plumage and the red only sets in when they begin ingesting carotenoids!
Remember we learned that cardinals are omnivores? They enjoy fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, and insects, but not all of these things have carotenoids. The specific ones they usually eat to get them are:
- Fruits: Berries, cherries.
- Insects: Grasshoppers and crickets
- Seeds: Seeds from conifers and shrubs
Once cardinals consume these things, the carotenoids from them are absorbed into their liver and fatty tissues, where they are then worked on and deposited into their feathers to color them!
Something you must know is that the redness of their feathers is dependent on factors like diet quality, age, and sex. Also, male cardinals tend to have more vibrant red colors than females.
The Size of the Cardinal’s Breeding Territory Varies With Habitat Quality
Now, cardinals are very picky birds. Luckily for the ecosystem, they have relatively low standards compared to other birds (something which is believed to be a result of their size). However, if a place doesn’t meet certain conditions, cardinals will never be caught dead in that place.
This fact simply tells us that anywhere a cardinal is, it must be quality.
The cardinal population in the area also influences the size of its breeding territory. It is believed that they cover from 2 – 10 acres of land wherever they find themselves.
The Northern Cardinal is the State Bird of Seven States
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia are the states that are lucky to have this wonderful bird be their state mascot. Delaware almost had this bird as its mascot but the people chose the Delaware Blue Hen.
It is also the mascot bird of professional sports teams St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball’s National League and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).
A few college sports teams also use the Northern Cardinal as their bird mascot, but they depict the birds as having yellow beaks and legs.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it – interesting facts about the cardinal, America’s beloved songbird.
If you live in a locale where they call home, all you need to do to enjoy the sight is to lay out bird feeders with sunflower seeds.
They really love those! But if you’re not a morning person, don’t try it; otherwise, they will annoy you with their constant morning songs/calls!
Here’s one more cool fact for you, this time about Northern Cardinals: the oldest recorded Northern Cardinal was a female, and was 15 years and 9 months old when she was found in Pennsylvania.
