Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)


Group	Cardinals
Code	ABPBX60010
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Cardinalidae
Author	(Linnaeus, 1758)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	P (definitions)
Scale	C (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	Menominee, Ontonagon, Dickinson, Delta, Iron
Eastern UP	Alger, Mackinac, Chippewa
Northern LP	all
Southern LP	all

Rule:

Mixed Forested/Nonforested or Nonforested Landscapes

      (Any Upland Deciduous (Regen or Sap))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Regen or Sap))
      or (Mixed Pine (Regen or Sap))
      or (Mixed Upland Hardwoods (Regen or Sap))
      or (Swamp Hardwoods (Regen or Sap))
      or (Bottomland Hardwoods (Regen or Sap))
      or (Mixed Lowland Hardwoods (Regen or Sap))
      or Upland Brush
      or Savanna
      or Residential
      or Lowland Brush
      or Edge
   containing:
      Mast

view decision rule term definitions

Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	YES	YES	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	YES	YES	no	no	no	-
Oak	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	YES	YES	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Upland Brush, Savanna, Residential, Lowland Brush
Special Features	Mast, Edges

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Literature:

Durst, B. 1991. Northern Cardinal. Pages 456-457 In: R. Brewer, G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr. (eds.) The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing. 594 pp.

Habitat: The Northern Cardinal can be found in a wide range of habitats in Michigan. In the Atlas Habitat Survey, it was reported from 13 of the major habitat categories, including all forest types except mesic conifer forest. It was also well represented in shrub upland, shrub wetland, old field, and residential habitats. It generally nests in shrubs or bushes in dense vegetation, so any habitat that offers such cover may be exploited by the cardinal. The planting of shrubs in urban areas has provided abundant nesting sites for this bird. Nesting height tends to be about 6 feet above the ground. Nests are basket-shaped and made of twigs, vines, grasses, and pine needles.

Insects are the primary food of young birds while seeds, buds, and fruits are the primary foods of adults. Cardinals have taken advantage of bird feeders as a source of food during the winter; this has probably helped them to expand their range northward into regions that have severe winters.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.

Habitat: Breeding: Forest edges, open woodlands (less common in deep forest unless thickets are present), groves, parks, suburban gardens, open swamps, residential areas, parks. Wintering: Same. Easily attracted to feeding stations with sunflower seeds.

Special Habitat Requirements: Heavy underbrush such as Lonicera spp. or Cornus spp.

Kaufman, K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 675 pp.

Habitat: Woodland edges, thickets, suburban gardens, towns, desert washes. Found in a wide variety of brush or semi-open habitats in the east, from forest clearings and swamps to city parks, almost wherever there are some dense bushes for nesting.

Diet: 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.

Nest: Usually well hidden in dense shrubs, vines, or low trees, placed 3-10 feet above ground, sometimes higher. Nest is open cup made of twigs, weeds, grass, bark strips, leaves, rootlets, lined with fine grass or hair.