When song is between two male cardinals, it is to settle territory disputes. Feeding Northern Cardinals participate in mate-feeding during courtship and nesting. This is when the male collects food and brings it to the female. They touch beaks as she takes the food. Mate-feeding continues through the incubation phase.
Cardinals feed upon seeds mainly but sometimes eat insects.
They can be found in woodland edges, thickets, swamps and gardens. During the fall and winter, some cardinals join flocks . Those that do not join a flock will remain on their breeding ground. In later winter and early spring, the cardinals that were in flocks disperse into territories. In the winter the male will be aggressive towards the female while they feed.