Animal Corner

Discover the many amazing animals that live on our planet.

  • Home
  • A-Z Animals
  • Anatomy
  • Glossary
  • Animal Lists
    • Animal By Letter
    • Animals by Location
    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
  • Free Resources
    • Animal Coloring Pages
    • Animal Jokes
    • Animal Quizzes
  • Pets
    • Dog Breeds
    • Rabbit Breeds
    • Cat Breeds
    • Pet Rodents
    • Animal Care
  • Blog
You are here: Home / Animals / Cardinal Birds

Cardinal Birds

Image Source

Cardinals belong to the family Cardinalidae and to the order: Passeriformes which is by far the largest order of birds who can be distinguished by their 4 unwebbed toes on each foot, with 3 claws pointing forwards and 1 claw pointing backwards. Cardinals are robust birds which are usually found in temperate forests in North, Central and South America. Cardinal is the name for several crested finches and the Northern Cardinal is probably the most well known.

Cardinal Description

Male and female cardinals differ in coloration. Male cardinals are a brilliant red color with a black ‘mask-like’ face with extends from the eyes to the throat and a thick red beak. Females and their young have a brown- buff coloring with hints of red on their wings, crest and tail. Cardinals are fairly large birds and measure between 12 – 22 centimetres and weigh between 11 and 85 grams depending on species. They have strong beaks for crushing seeds, long tails and prominent crests. Cardinals tend to sit in a hunched over position with their tails pointing towards the ground.

Cardinal Habitat

Cardinals prefer habitats in open woodlands, shrubbery, forest edges and build their nests in dense, tangled vines and shrubs. They can also be observed in parks and backyards.

Cardinal Diet

The diet of the cardinal is mainly seeds. They sit in low shrubs and trees and forage for seeds on the ground, usually in pairs.

Cardinal Behaviour

Cardinals can be recognised by their loud chirping which is produced by both male and female cardinals, unusual for northern songbirds. Cardinals are non-migrating birds who do not molt or change color during the winter. Therefore, they are still a spectacular sight to observe in your snow covered backyards.

Cardinal Reproduction

Young cardinals are similar in appearance to adult cardinals but are brown in color. Young males with develop their red coloring during growth and young females will remain with their brown coloring. Young cardinals are raised in bulky nests made of twigs and bark and lined with grass.

Cardinal Conservation Status

Most species of cardinals are classed as ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN, although some are near threatened.

Check out more animals that begin with the letter C

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About

  • Red Kite
  • Red Rock Crabs
  • Whimbrel birds
    Galapagos Whimbrel Birds
  • Red Bat
    Galapagos Red Bat
  • Hoopoe Birds
  • Red British Squirrel

About Joanne Spencer

I've always been passionate about animals which led me to a career in training and behaviour. As an animal professional I'm committed to improving relationships between people and animals to bring them more happiness.

Animal Classification

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Superfamily:Emberizoidea
Family:Cardinalidae
Type species:Loxia cardinalis

Search

Most Popular Animals

  • Zebras
  • Aquatic Warbler
  • Atlantic Dolphins
  • Trapdoor Spider
  • Giraffe
  • Meerkats
  • Timber Wolf
  • Praying Mantis
  • Huntsman Spider
  • Vampire Bat

Galapagos Islands

galapagos-islands

Animal Names Glossary

Animal Names

British Wildlife

british-wildlife

Mammals

anatomy

Dog Breeds

dog breeds

Farm Animals

Farm Animals

Best of the Blog

  • 21 Amazing Animals that live in Lakes
  • What are the Fastest Animals in the World?
  • 31 Animals with Weird and Funny Sounding Names
  • Top 15 Deadliest Animals in the World
  • Ophiophagy – Examples of animals that eat snakes
  • List of Fascinating Solitary Animals

Copyright © 2005-2022 · Animal Corner · All Rights Reserved · Affiliate Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Animals Sitemap . About Us

AnimalCorner.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.