Do you keep mixing up the two most vibrant birds – Red Robin and Cardinal? Or maybe wanted to find out whether they were distant cousins or long-lost siblings in the entire avian family tree.
From having a fiery red plumage to a charismatic personality – both of them, in a word, are marvelous creatures of nature. In fact, once you spot and know more about them, there is literally no turning back.
That much amazing they are!
However, beyond their shared crimson hue, there are plenty of differences between them. For instance, the most obvious difference between them is that Cardinals have a crest on the top of their head, which is missing on the Robin and so on.
Let’s talk about each of the key differences between Red Robin vs Cardinal. But, before that, let’s have a quick glimpse at their comparison table for a better understanding:
Red Robin vs Cardinal: Comparison Table
| Features | Red Robin | Cardinal |
| Family Group | Turdidae | Cardinalidae |
| Songs and voice | Red Robins have the habit of making a chirper sound, which is a bit harsh and sharp in comparison to the Cardinal. | They have slow and melodious sound. |
| Size | Large, round body, long legs, and tail, with length ranging between 9-11 inches. | Mid-sized body, with length ranging between 8.3-9.1 inches. |
| Beak shape | Have a slightly longer and more pointed yellow-colored beak | They have a short, cone-shaped red beak along with a black mask around the face. |
| Wingspan | 10-12 inches | 12-16 inches |
| Weight | 43 grams (1.51 ounces) | 77 grams (2.7 ounces) |
| Wing shape | Round | Round |
| Tail shape | Fan-shaped | Round |
| Range | Almost the entire North American continent, ranging from the U.S to the greater parts of Canada and Mexico as well. | The Cardinals are found to be living in the eastern portion of the U.S. |
| Flight | Strong and fast direct flight | Swift wing beats, with the wings being pulled towards the sides. |
| Diet | Various kinds of insects and worms | Primarily feeds on the seeds |
| Female Singers | Don’t sing | Sing |
| Movement | Run and stop | Hop |
| Flocks | They live in large flocks. | These birds usually join small family groups; however during the breeding season, the groups are then split into pairs. |
| Color | Orange-colored chest, black head, and a dark-gray colored back. | Comes with red plumage and a black-colored mask on the face. |
| Behavior | Industrious, stand active, and in the winter they flock together in groups. | Usually, they sit low in the shrubs, nearby the bird feeders. |
| Lifespan | 2 years | 3 years |
| Migration | Migrate | Do not migrate |
| Habitat | Gardens, parks, yards, pine forests, shrublands, woodlands, tundra, etc. | Parks, backyards, shrubby forests and woodlots. |
| Life mates | Don’t mate for life | Mate for life |
| Breeding Season | April-July | March-September |
| Nest Shape, Materials and Location | Cup-shaped, made using grasses, twigs, and mud at the tree crook or on a horizontal branch | Loose, cup-shaped, made using twigs, grasses and bark strips on dense shrubs or small trees. |
| Nesting Habits | They usually lay about 5-6 eggs, with the color varying in between blue-green or sky-blue shades. Plus, there are no kinds of speckles or markings in their eggs. | They normally lay in between 2-5 eggs, with the color varying between greenish-white, buff-white, or maybe just plain white. Their eggs are mostly speckled. |
18 Key Differences Between a Red Robin & Cardinal That One Must Know!
Although the Red Robin and Cardinal might share a few similarities and look alike from a distance, there are more differences to discover than meets the eye. From their stunning plumage to unique calls and diet preferences – the list goes on!
Here is a list of the top eleven key differences between a Red Robin and a Cardinal that make them stand out from each other:
Size
In terms of size, the Red Robin is relatively larger, measuring about 9-11 inches in length. On the other hand, the Cardinals measure around 8.3-9.3 inches long.
Both of them have a round body, with the Cardinals having a moderately tallish body and the Red Robin having long legs with multiple claws.
Color
Typically, a male Cardinal comes with stunning bright red plumage, with the females being pale brown and having warm reddish tinges on their chest, wings, and tail regions.
On the contrary, the Red Robins are bright greyish brown on their chest areas, with the underparts being orange in color.
Family Group
Both of these bird species hail from two different families and thus are not related to each other. That is, the red robins belong to the Turdidae family, while the Cardinals belong to the Cardinalidae family.
Food Preference
Just like us, birds also have their own preferences when it comes to food.
For instance, Cardinals tend to prefer more seeds compared to Red Robins. It’s one of the popular reasons why you will find them at backyard feeders most of the time.
Therefore, if you want to attract them, just fill in your bird feeders with ample of nourishing seeds and wait for their majestic appearances. Once they get a hint, they will for sure pay a visit.
Meanwhile, the Red Robins love varied kinds of insects, berries, and small fruits. Similarly, if you are planning to attract the Red Robins to your yard, make sure to plant some berry bushes or fruit trees.
Plus, covering the garden beds with thick mulch or leaf litter will motivate them to come foraging for various kinds of earthworms and insects.
Beak
Their beaks are another significant difference between them. The Red Robins have a comparatively longer and more pointed yellow-colored beak.
While the Cardinals have a short cone-shaped red beak. And not to mention, the black face mask around it just enhances the beauty to the next level.
Wings
Moving on to the wings, the Red Robin has a wider wingspan in comparison to the Cardinal. That is, the Red Robin has a wingspan between 12-16 inches, with the Cardinals being 10-12 inches.
Tail
In terms of the tail, the Red Robins come with a fan-shaped tail with the Cardinals being rounder. The Red Robins have a black colored tail, while the Cardinals have a red colored tail. In the case of the female species, you might find a bit of reddish tings on the tail area.
Flight
Red Robins have a much more rapid and strong direct flight, while the Cardinals have swift wing beats. Apart from flying, they can even gracefully walk, hop, and even flutter.
Flocks
Red Robins are one of the most sociable creatures that you will find. They love hanging around in flocks, particularly in the winter seasons.
On the contrary, the Cardinals remain in solitary positions and are typically found in pairs during the breeding seasons.
Call
The calling off the Cardinals is much more appealing in comparison to the Red Robins. They have a slow yet melodious voice that they mainly make to attract their potential mates, and while defending their territories from the enemies.
On the contrary, the Red Robins have a harsher and sharper sound that they usually make while trying to impress their mating partners.
Female Singers
The female Cardinals are very fond of singing, while the female Red Robins don’t sing at all. It is pretty unusual for the female species to sing as it is mostly the male who is the singer.
Movement
Cardinals are ground foragers and thus are seen moving on the ground, hopping from one spot to another.
While the Red Robins tend to spend a lot of time on the ground. It is mainly because of the hunt of the earthworms, where they tend to take a few rapid steps, abruptly stop, and then start looking around again.
Territories
The territory of the Cardinals ranges anywhere from half acres to about six acres. While the territory of the Robins is typically lesser than half an acre, with the tendency to overlap frequently.
Weight
Red Robins are much bulkier, weighing about 77-80 grams, while the Cardinal’s weight varies from 43-45 grams.
Lifespan
On average, the lifespan of the Red Robins is about 2 years. However, they can live up to 5-6 years if they can successfully reach adulthood.
On the other hand, the Cardinals have a much longer life expectancy in comparison to the Red Robins. And thus have an average lifespan of about 3 years along with 15 years at maximum.
Migration
Cardinals do not migrate at all. But the Red Robins certainly do.
In fact, you will find the Cardinals mating, nesting, raising, preparing for the winter, and even spending the winter seasons within the same range throughout the year.
On the contrary, the Red Robins have a year-round range where a greater number of species are found to be living all months of the year.
However, some might migrate in the spring season into the northern parts of Alaska and Canada for breeding purposes. While in the fall season, they will head back south as much as possible to spend the winter outbreak there.
Life Mates
Both the Cardinals and Red Robins are monogamous. Each pair remains with their potential mates during the breeding season.
However, the Cardinals tend to take a step further and typically mate for life. That is, the pair gets back together each spring season to breed and raise together another set of offspring.
The Red Robins don’t mate for life. Instead, when the breeding season is over, there is almost no chance for them to get back together in the next breeding season. However, then again, exceptions can happen as there are no such rules that they cannot pair back together again.
Nesting
They are pretty dissimilar in terms of their nesting, even though they might sometime share the same kind of nesting space. For example, the Red Robins typically lays about 5-6 eggs at a time, varying in between sky blue or blue-green coloration with no kinds of markings.
Whereas the Cardinals tend to lay about 2-5 eggs with color varying from white to pale gray, light green, and ivory with gray or brown. Plus, their eggs have speckled markings as well.
And when they are born, they are born completely featherless. Plus, they are also blind at the time of their birth. However, they have a quick-growing pace and are able to move around in just about 7-13 days, counting from the day of the hatching.
On the other hand, Red Robins are almost featherless and have yellow-colored skin, needing about 14 days to reach the size of adult birds.
Some Interesting Facts About the Red Robin and Cardinal
Now that you know the key differences between Red Robin vs Cardinal, let’s discover some interesting facts about these two marvelous creatures of nature:
Red Robin
- Red Robins can be seen as early as possible in the springtime, ultimately making them the first songbirds to appear.
- They love to build their circular nests in trees.
- During the winter season, they mostly move to the southern parts and tend to spend most of their time in the trees. As a result, you might not see them roaming or flying around much in this particular timeframe.
- Each year, they can have up to three broods. However, a significant number of newborns cannot make it as the mortality rate of the hatchling is pretty high.
Cardinals
- The Cardinals are one of the few species where we get to see the female birds sing in a melodious tone along with the male. In fact, some Cardinals might even exchange these song phrases as a means to interact with each other during the nesting season.
During breeding seasons, the female Cardinals are found exchanging songs back and forth with their probable suitor.
- They can sing more than 24 different songs, which is certainly a wow factor.
- Due to a genetic abnormality, namely xanthochroism, the Cardinals may become yellow-colored instead of having their traditional bright red color.
FAQs
Are Robins Related to the Cardinals?
Though both the Red Robins and Cardinals might share several similarities, they are not related to each other in any way. In fact, they both belong to two different families, with the Red Robins in the Turdidae family and the Cardinals in the Cardinalidae family.
Why Do Robins Chase Cardinals?
Well, it’s mostly because of the friendly neighborhood rivalry. From food to protecting their territory – the chase is totally harmless and a way of their interaction. Believe it or not, it can be pretty entertaining to watch.
Can You Differentiate The Babies Between Red Robins and Cardinals?
Absolutely, the babies of the Red Robins have yellow-colored skin and when they are first hatched, they don’t have much feathers.
On the other hand, the Cardinals are completely featherless and born blind. However, they have a pretty fast-growing rate and can leave the nest within just 7 to 13 days.
What Does it Mean When You See a Red Robin or Cardinal?
Seeing a Red Robin or Cardinal is considered a happy sign in most cultures. Such as, it can refer to good luck or even a message from a departed beloved one.
Therefore, whenever you get to spot them, make sure to take a moment’s break, think of them as a good symbol, and indulge in the great beauty of nature. After all, you don’t always get to see them.
Is There a Bird That Resembles a Robin?
Of course, there is. They are namely, Rufous-backed Robins or the European Robin.
In fact, you will be totally shocked upon seeing their doppelganger. From sharing the same stunning appearances like the reddish-orange breast and charismatic personalities, it’s like they are long-lost twins who got separated from each other.
Wrapping Up
That’s all regarding the key differences between Red Robin vs Cardinal.
Each of them is unique and charming from their respective angles.
From the captivating behavior of the Red Robin as a fearless backyard visitor to the majestic presence of the Cardinal against the chilling weather condition – both of them indeed holds a special place in our hearts.
And hopefully, now you will be able to differentiate both of them from the next time. Happy Birdwatching!
