The Northern Cardinal is one of the most recognizable and popular feathered friend because of its vibrant red color. They are known to be migratory and remain with their mates for life. Cardinal pairs will frequent backyard birdfeeders early and often. They are consistently the first and last visitors to feeding stations each day. The Northern Cardinal is native to Mexico and United States except for extreme Western parts.
Cardinals prefer bushy woodlands, evergreens, streamside thickets, and suburban gardens and parks.
They tend to nest in thick evergreens and honeysuckle thickets. Cardinals socialize in open backyards containing trees and berry producing shrubs such as mulberry, blueberry, grape and dogwood. They are approximately 8 inches long. The male is bright scarlet red in color with a pointed crest and black around the bill while the female is mainly brown with a slight reddish tint. Cardinals are known to eat hundreds of fruits and seeds in the wild.