Northern Cardinals

[00:00:00] Alex Re: Hello, welcome to On Wildlife. I'm your host Alex Re. On this podcast, we bring the wild to you. We take you on a journey into the life of a different animal every month, and I guarantee you, you're gonna come out of here knowing more about your favorite animal than you did before. Today we're talking about an iconic bird with vibrant colors.

[00:00:22] That many of you may be able to see in your own backyard. These animals are more than just their good looks, though. They have an extremely recognizable sound and have really awesome behaviors and adaptations that you'll definitely want to hear about. So join me as we fly through the forest to talk about Northern Cardinals.

[00:00:59] Cardinals are birds classified under the Cardinale Day family, and there are 53 different species alive today. And on this episode we'll be talking about one of the most commonly known species, the northern cardinal. You can identify these animals by their thick beaks and crested heads, which are basically feathers that stick out on the top of their head that come to a point.

[00:01:24] And of course, their most well-known feature is their bright red coloration. Northern cardinals are sexually dimorphic, meaning that the males and females look different from each other. Only males are bright red. Females are usually a light brown color. Can you think about why the males might be brightly colored, but the females aren't?

[00:01:48] Hold that thought and we'll come back to it later on in the episode. Cardinals get their name because of their coloration. Whoever came up with the name found that their red coloration reminded them of the red robes that cardinals in the Catholic church wear and the name stuck. These animals are beloved by many people.

[00:02:08] They're one of the most popularly sought out birds in their native habitats when it comes to bird watching. And there are seven US states that have the Cardinal as their state bird, including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. Not only that, but they're also the mascot of two professional sports teams.

[00:02:33] Northern Cardinals are found from the very top of the northeastern United States all the way down to the bottom of Mexico. You won't find them on the west coast of the US though, and they've only been in the Northeastern United States for about 50 years. Researchers believe that with the increasing development of the suburbs, it's made an ideal habitat for cardinals to call home.

[00:02:57] This is because people like to have shrubs and other vegetation in their yards, and they also put out bird feeders, which attract cardinals. They cover a wide range of climates and habitats and they don't migrate. They stay around the same area year round, and Northern Cardinals are pretty small birds.

[00:03:17] Their wingspans range from around nine to 12 inches, and they only weigh about one and a half ounces. That's about the weight of two AA batteries. Okay, let's take our first break and when we return, we'll talk about Cardinal's eating habits, and much more.

[00:03:49] On this episode, I wanna give a shout out to Valentine from Victoria, Australia. Valentine's favorite animal is a mongoose. Did you know that mongooses often have run-ins with cobras and their venom doesn't have as much of an effect on mongooses as it does on other animals? Remember, if you wanna shout out on the show, you can send us an email at On Wildlife. Podcast@gmail.com.

[00:04:24] Now back to the episode, Cardinals are omnivores, so they eat both plants and animals. They'll munch on seeds, berries, insects, and snails. And like I said before, they love bird feeders. The majority of their diet is made up of seeds and their thick beaks really come in handy when they need to break open the shells to get to the nut on the inside to find food.

[00:04:50] They spend a lot of time hopping around on the ground foraging. Like most birds, cardinals have tetra chromatic vision. This means that they have cones in their eyes that can pick up red, green, and blue light, as well as ultraviolet light. Humans only have tri chromatic vision. We can pick up red, green, and blue, but not ultraviolet.

[00:05:16] This ability to sense ultraviolet light helps birds find food more easily, especially when it's on the forest floor and in the trees. Some berries have wax on them that reflect UV light, which could allow for cardinals to quickly pick them out of their surroundings. Their keen eyesight is also helpful in looking out for predators, and northern cardinals have quite a lot of them in their environment.

[00:05:43] For example, they're preyed upon by hawks, owls, domestic cats, and more, so they need to be alert when scavenging for food. Even though bright red plumage is helpful in communicating with other cardinals, which we'll talk about in a minute, it can also make them an easy target. Luckily they have ways to avoid predators.

[00:06:06] They can fly pretty fast in order to escape them. Northern cardinals on average, fly at about 25 miles per hour, but their max speed is a little under 40 miles per hour. And they're also really agile so they can maneuver in flight to avoid larger birds who wouldn't be able to turn as quickly. But they don't have a lot of stamina, so they're better at flying in short bursts.

[00:06:31] Even though Northern Cardinals bright red coloration can put them at risk, the benefits outweigh the cost. That's because it's a very important tool when it comes to communication. Male cardinals can signal their health to females by using their color if they're more vibrant. This indicates that they're healthier and have a good territory.

[00:06:53] Some research shows that it also indicates how good of a parent they'll be. Red Air Cardinals have also been seen to have a higher reproductive success. One way that we can tell that redness has to do with mating is that males are much brighter red than females. Like I mentioned earlier, most females are light brown in color with bits and pieces of red throughout their feathers.

[00:07:18] And a male's diet actually impacts how red he is. Researchers have found that in urban environments, cardinals are more red than in rural environments. They believe that this is because of the fact that there are more invasive plants and insects in urban areas, and these invasive species have higher amounts of red pigments.

[00:07:40] Northern cardinals are also very territorial. A better territory means better food availability and nesting sites. What's really funny is that cardinals have been observed attacking their reflection in windows and mirrors because they think it's another bird. They're usually most aggressive during the spring because that's right around mating season.

[00:08:02] And as mating season ends, their hormones change, which causes them to be less territorial. Speaking of mating season, cardinals usually have two broods, meaning two groups of young throughout the year. They'll have the first brood in March, and then the second brood anywhere between May to July. Females usually lay around four eggs and it only takes about 12 days for them to hatch.

[00:08:29] Their eggs are off white with brown speckles all over them. Now what about their nests? We'll talk about them right after the break

[00:08:49] time for today's trivia question. What is something that monkeys have, which apes don't?

[00:09:05] The answer is a tail. Some examples of apes are gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. All of which don't have tails.

[00:09:23] Northern cardinal nests can be built in trees or bushes, usually from one to 15 feet off the ground. And what's interesting is that they kind of go house hunting. The male and female both search for the right nesting spot while holding their nest building materials. Northern Cardinals build their nests mostly out of twigs leaves and bark.

[00:09:46] And even though the male brings over materials, the female does most of the building. She'll take the twigs and bend them around her body to get them into the correct shape, and it can take up to nine days to build a suitable nest. It's pretty amazing that they can build these structures without hands because they look professionally built.

[00:10:08] While the female incubates the egg, she doesn't leave the nest. During this time, the male brings her food, and Northern Cardinals are traditional, meaning that they're basically helpless at birth and need the parents to constantly care for them after they hatch. Both the male and female bring food to the chicks.

[00:10:29] Usually feeding them a diet of insects. They leave the nest after around 10 days, but they don't actually start flying until they're at least 20 days old. Something you could be wondering is if they're staying in the nest for 10 days and eating insects, where does all the waste go? Are they just going to the bathroom in the nest?

[00:10:52] Well, the answer is sort of. Northern Cardinals and a bunch of other bird species are adapted to deal with this waste problem in the form of a fecal sack. It basically acts as a diaper for baby birds. The fecal sack consists of their poop enclosed in a mucus membrane. They excrete the fecal sac and the parents are able to easily dispose of it, or in some cases they'll eat it.

[00:11:19] Not only do Northern Cardinals use color to communicate, they also use sound. They're songbirds and they have a unique song that you might recognize. Listen to this and try to think about if you've ever heard their call before.

[00:11:39] One of the reasons that males sing is to attract females, but they can also use it to warn off predators and protect territories from other cardinals. Interestingly, the females also sing, which isn't common among songbirds that share the same habitat. Females and males have been observed singing to each other when looking for supplies to build their nests.

[00:12:05] In total, Northern Cardinals are able to make around 16 different calls, and some studies have shown that depending on the environment they're in, they can change the pitch of their songs. For example, in urban environments when there's a lot more noise, they've been shown to have longer songs with higher frequencies so that it's more likely that their songs will be heard.

[00:12:28] So as you can tell, these animals are very flexible and can adapt to all types of different habitats. This is probably why northern cardinal populations are thankfully not in danger, and that's a great thing for us and the habitats that they live in because they play a key role in their environ.

[00:12:47] They're great seed dispersers. They love to eat seeds, and when they digest the seeds, they spread them to different areas, which helps keep the forests diverse with different plants. They also provide food to their predators, many of which have struggling populations. And something we should be really grateful for is the fact that they eat insects that humans may classify as pest.

[00:13:12] Although these insects are important to the ecosystems too, Northern Cardinals keep their populations in check. Unlike most other animals, Northern Cardinals have actually increased their population numbers in recent years due to human development. They thrive where many other animals don't. So today, I'll give you some organizations that are helping animals that are native to Northern cardinal habitats.

[00:13:39] You should definitely go check out the Northeast Wilderness Trust, American Bird Conservancy and the National Park Foundation. Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me as we explored the world of Northern Cardinals. You can find the sources that we use for this podcast and links to organizations that we reference@onwildlife.org.

[00:14:03] You can also email us with any questions at On Wildlife dot podcast@gmail.com, and you could follow us on Instagram at On Wildlife, or on TikTok at On Wildlife. And don't forget to tune in next month for another awesome episode, and that's on Wildlife.

[00:14:28] Jess Avellino: You've been listening to On Wildlife with Alex Re. On Wildlife, provides general educational information on various topics as a public service, which should not be construed as professional financial, real estate, tax, or legal advice. These are our personal opinions only. Please refer to our full disclaimer policy on our website for full details.