Cardinal eggs are glossy light green or dull gray, with reddish brown specks or blotches. The female incubates the eggs in solitude for 13 days before they hatch. At that point, the fledglings are covered with gray down. Fledgling cardinals can fly well within 20 days, but they seldom venture far. Nonmigratory and territorial, a cardinal may spend its entire life within a half-mile of its birthplace.
Cardinals eat a large number of seeds and insects.
They also eat a variety of foods that allow them to be easily attracted to backyard feeders. Those wishing to attract cardinals to feeders can use a variety of products, especially in the winter when natural foods are scarce. One proven cardinal favorite is black oil sunflower seed. Other cardinal foods include milo, corn, peanut hearts, berries and even mealworms. Household foods may be placed in feeders or on the ground to attract cardinals, as well.