Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

            Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Southwestern Florida
USA        

The Northern Cardinal is widespread and abundant, having expanded its range over the last century or more. Current numbers probably stable.

Family – Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings

Habitat - Woodland edges, thickets, suburban gardens, towns, desert washes. Found in a wide variety of brushy or semi-open habitats in the East, from forest clearings and swamps to city parks, almost wherever there are some dense bushes for nesting. In the Southwest, more local; occurs in tall brush, streamside thickets, groves of mesquites in desert.

One of our most popular birds, the Cardinal is the official state bird of no fewer than seven eastern states. Abundant in the Southeast, it has been extending its range northward for decades, and it now brightens winter days with its color and its whistled song as far north as southeastern Canada. Feeders stocked with sunflower seeds may have aided its northward spread. West of the Great Plains, the Cardinal is mostly absent, but it is locally common in the desert Southwest. 

Forages mostly while hopping on ground or in low bushes, sometimes higher in trees. Readily comes to bird feeders, where it favors sunflower seeds.

Mostly seeds, insects, berries. Diet is quite varied. Feeds on many insects, including beetles, true bugs, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, flies, and many others, also spiders, centipedes, and snails. Most of diet is vegetable matter, including seeds of weeds and grasses, waste grain, leaf buds, flowers, and many berries and wild fruits. Young are fed mostly insects.

Taken in: United States / Florida / Orangetree (show map)

Taken on: July 19, 2019

Tags:

Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Southwestern Florida

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Widespread

Abundant

Stable Numbers

Family Cardinals

Grosbeaks

Buntings

Woodland edges

Thickets

Suburban Gardens

Towns

Desert Washes

Forages While Hopping

Ground

Low Bushes

Eats Seeds

Insects

Berries

Beetles

Grasshoppers

Caterpillars

Ants

Flies

Vegetable

Matter

Sue Roehl

Panasonic

Lumix DMC GH4

100 - 400 mm Lens

Handheld

NGC

coth5

NPC « less

Sets appears in: • Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

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