How cardinal couples stick — and survive — together
One of the most recognizable birds in our region is the northern cardinal.
It is not one of those fair-weather birds, but lives out its entire life enduring all the seasons in one area. There is no migration and no warm winter home. This is their home.
Do you ever wonder what it is like to live the life of a northern cardinal (or any other animal)? Probably not.
But, for just a few minutes, let’s imagine you are a northern cardinal living and surviving the spring season.
Winter is over
Cardinals endured the long winter just like all of us. They survive the most severe cold by fluffing up their feathers to create an insulating layer of air and taking shelter in dense evergreen trees.
While cardinals are omnivores (they eat both plants and insects), insects are hard to come by in winter. So they almost entirely eat seeds left over from the previous fall. This also explains why cardinals are so common at your winter bird feeders.
However, winter is now over and the menu is expanding to include some meat (insects). It's time to pack in those calories as there is a lot of work to be done. It’s time to raise some babies!
Building the nursery
Some bird dads are useless. For example, the ruby-throated hummingbird seems to live only to impregnate females. Once he does that, he is never seen again. This is the absolute opposite of the northern cardinals.
Cardinals mate for life. Most cardinal couples stay together as long as their mate is alive. They don’t just mate for life — they spend most of the year together. They are a true couple.
The couple meets and spends their first few first dates feeding each other. It's love at first feeding, and they have been together ever since.
Beginning in early April, the couple will start to build their nest, which is made mostly out of twigs. The female does most of the nest-building but her husband does not sit idly by. While she builds, he constantly collects and delivers all the materials. He also provides her with most meals as she is simply too busy.
Once the nest is done, she will lay two to five eggs and will start sitting on them almost full-time once the last egg is laid. The male will still find food for her and will give out a call when it is time for her to briefly leave the nest to have dinner.
During this brief dinner, their nest may be broken into by a cowbird. Cowbirds are too lazy to raise their young themselves and instead find cardinal nests, remove one of the cardinal eggs and replace it with a cowbird egg. The cardinal couples do not recognize the swap occurred and continue to incubate and raise the cowbird just as if it were a cardinal.
Come to think about it — is the cowbird lazy or genius? The cowbird does come back to check on her egg. Don’t ever remove a cowbird egg from a cardinal nest as the mother cowbird will know! She will then destroy another cardinal egg and replace it with another cowbird egg.
Hatchlings
In about two weeks, the new baby cardinals — and maybe a cowbird — will hatch. They will only stay in the nest for about 10 days before leaving the nest to start training for a life on their own.
They will stick around the nest for about two weeks, but this is when Dad takes over raising the babies. Once the birds start to spend some time out of the nest, the mom leaves to go build a second nest to have another round of babies. Dad stays to protect and feed the cardinal children. He also continues to find and deliver food to Mom, who is busy building the second nest.
By the time Dad finally says goodbye to his children, Mom is already sitting on the new set of eggs.
Taking a summer rest
After the second nest of babies (called a brood) goes on their own, it is finally time for Mom and Dad to get a little bit of rest. They will remain together and will even affectionately feed each other at times.
In the meantime, four to 10 new cardinals are out on their own. Statistically, about half of them will survive to adulthood. It’s a tough world out there in the wild, but they are doing OK.
Matter of fact, the range of cardinals has been slowly increasing and scientists believe it is because people put bird feeders out for them. This human behavior makes finding food in winter (the most difficult season) much easier.
Mike Szydlowski is a science teacher and zoo facilitator at Jefferson STEAM School.
TIME FOR A POP QUIZ
Why has the cardinal population been increasing?
If a cardinal successfully hatched two broods of three eggs each, statistically, how many of the babies will reach adulthood?
Why do you think cardinal moms build a second nest instead of reusing the first one?
What adaptation do cowbirds have to help their population?
Throughout most of spring, what is the main role of the male cardinal?
LAST WEEK'S QUIZ ANSWERS
How is the dandelion important to an ecosystem?
Dandelions are an important early and ongoing food source for pollinators.
How does the dandelion help other plants grow?
The long, strong roots of the dandelion help break up hard soils.
Why do dandelions often look healthier than the rest of the lawn?
Dandelions are adapted for survival by having very long tap roots that can tap water deep underground.
What part of the year is the worst time to remove dandelions? Why?
Early spring is the worst time to remove dandelions because the flowers are often the first food source for bees.
What is wrong with the practice of keeping a nice lawn?
The grasses we use for lawns are not native and require a large amount of chemicals and water to keep healthy.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How cardinal couples stick — and survive — together
