Within their range, Cardinals are mostly resident, with most of them living within a mile of where they hatched. The Northern Cardinals are quite common throughout eastern and central North America. carneus), Kardinál cervený … Spanish: Cardenal rojo de Cozumel, Cardenal común, Cardenal Norteño, Cardenal Rojo … Swedish: Röd kardinal carneus) … Russian: ? … Slovak: kardinál chochlatý (C.c. carneus), Cardinal de Virginie, Cardinal rouge … German: Roter Kardinal, Rotkardinal … Italian: Cardinale rosso, Cardinale settentrionale … Japanese: shoujoukoukanchou … Mayan languages: chac dzidzib … Norwegian: Rødkardinal … Polish: Kardynal szkarlatny (C.c. cardinalis) Cardinal à huppe longue, Cardinal rouge à huppe longue (C.c. carneus) … Dutch: Rode Kardinaal … Estonian: Kardinal … Finnish: Punakardinaali … French: Cardinal rouge (C.c. states – namely Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia – have chosen these well-loved songbirds as their state birds.Ĭhinese: ? … Czech: Kardinál cervený … Danish: Rød Kardinal (C.c. These strikingly beautiful songbirds were once prized as cage birds, but their sale is now banned in the United States, as they were given protection by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. They are sometimes referred to as “Red Birds” “Common Cardinals” or “Virginia Nightingales.”Īccording to legend, these birds were named for the red color of the male’s plumage that is reminiscent of the red-robed Roman Catholic Cardinals and the crest of feathers on top of the head that bears a resemblance to a bishop’s mitre (formal headdress). Unlike many creatures that disappeared after urbanization, this bird species seems to have greatly benefited from it. In recent history, they have been expanding their ranges north and southwest facilitated by the increasing supply of food offerings at residential bird feeders and dense underbrush found in gardens and parks that serve them well for nesting. The Northern Cardinals ( Cardinalis cardinalis) are medium-sized, very popular songbirds found throughout the eastern half of the United States, most of Mexico, and northern areas of Central America. Breeding / Nesting … Diet / Feeding … Longevity and Predation.Physical Description … Calls / Vocalizations.Subspecies and Ranges … Distribution and Habitat.

Flock of cardinals