Cardinals

The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more  people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red  you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest  and warm red accents. 

Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a  dull plumage, so they’re still breathtaki

Nearly any bird feeder you put out ought  to attract Northern Cardinals (as long as you live within their range),  but they particularly seem to use sunflower seeds. Leave undergrowth in  your backyard or around the edges, and you may have cardinals nesting  on your property. Find out more about what this bird likes to eat and  what feeder is best by using the Project FeederWatch Comm

Only a few female North American songbirds sing, but the female Northern  Cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. This may give the  male information about when to bring food to the nest. A mated pair  shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and slightly more  complex song than the male.
The male cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other  males.

The brilliant red of a male Northern  Cardinal calls attention to itself when males are around. You can also  find cardinals by getting a sense of the warm, red-tinged brown of  females – a pattern you can learn to identify in flight. Away from  backyards, cardinals are still common but inconspicuous owing to their  affinity for dense tangles. Listen for their piercing chip notes to