Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Description:

A male Northern Cardinal perched on a deck wall

Habitat:

In a backyard in a suburb of the Twin Cities, in trees, at feeding stations or feeders, on the ground and at the bird bath

Notes:

For some reason my mom's Northern Cardinals only feed at dusk and dawn whereas up here (Battle Lake) 3.5 hours north-west of there, they feed throughout the day and are far less numerous than in my mother's neighborhood. We may be on their northern-most region, perhaps? I also tend to see more males than females up here unlike in Apple Valley where they seem more equally numbered to the males. Like the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Northern Cardinals seem to prefer Safflower Seed at the feeders but I have seen them take Black-oil Sunflower Seed as well.