Cardinal Birds
All About Cardinal Birds
Cardinal birds are named for the color which adorns the drapes of the Christian Cardinal, and this deep red can only be duplicated by the brilliant fall shows of the leaves during autumn. Female cardinal birds, as per the general avian rule, are not nearly as bold and brazen in color as male cardinal birds are. You may not know that there are actually three types of cardinals indigenes to North America, and that’s okay. Not many realize this fun little fact, but I will do my best to introduce you properly to each of our precious cardinal birds.
The cardinal birds that we are most familiar with in the greater United States is the northern variety, and he just so happens to be the state bird of Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and West Virginia. His tell tale stature, beautifully stout yet somehow delicate and regal, gives us cause to gaze out the window during any and all of the seasons just for a chance at a glimpse. His song, one of three that he is most likely to sing for us, is a series of whistles. This is his greeting, his good morning and good night to his fellow red birds and to us, so we like to think. Cardinal birds also have a danger or warning chatter which is used to fend squirrels, chipmunks, and other birds away from his territory. His most brilliant and rare call is that which he uses to woo his mate during the breeding season, although you may this pretty, short song periodically throughout the year.
Cardinal birds eat a minimum of 51 types of bugs and insects, and doing so is quite beneficial to us as home owners. He will still visit your seed feeder many times a day, so don’t be ashamed should you see him picking for grubs and ant in your garden. He needs a lot of protein, and he cannot attain this from seed alone. As far as the other types of cardinal birds, they may not actually classify as cardinals at all. If you remember from a while back, see…right up there at the top…, the cardinal is named for his deep scarlet colorings. The other types of cardinal birds are not red at all. The first, the gray cardinal, which is actually an oxymoron, is indigenes to the most extremely warm climates to the south of North America. They are most prominent in Mexico, but will venture as far north as Texas.
Yellow cardinal birds, yup, an even bigger oxymoron, prefer to stay even further to the south, and on into South America. Cardinal birds are a wonderful sight to behold, and an enjoyable guest to host, no matter what color they are or where they choose to sing.