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Cardinalis cardinalis

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Northern Cardinal

G5Secure Found in 86 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105565
Element CodeABPBX60010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyCardinalidae
GenusCardinalis
Other Common Names
Cardenal Rojo (ES) Cardinal rouge (FR) northern cardinal (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Composed of two groups: cardinalis (Common Cardinal) and carneus (Long-crested Cardinal) (AOU 1998). May constitute a superspecies with C. phoeniceus (AOU 1998). See Banks and Browning (1995) for information on the former generic name richmondena.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-07
Change Date1996-12-03
Range Extent Comments
Resident from central Baja California, southeastern California east to southern New Mexico, southeastern South Dakota across the northern U.S. and southern Canada to Nova Scotia, south to southern Baja California, Belize, Gulf Coast, and southern Florida. Range gradually has expanded northward in recent decades. Introduced in Hawaii (all main islands), southwestern California.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Thickets, brushy areas, fields, shrubbery, forest edge, clearings, around human habitation, and, in arid regions, in scrub, riparian thickets, woodland, and brush; typically avoids dense forest (but penetrates native forest in Hawaii).

Nests in dense shrubs, small deciduous or coniferous tree, thicket, vine, briar tangle, mesquite, generally 3 m or less above ground. Female builds a new nest in a different location on the territory for each nesting attempt (Filliater et al. 1994).

Ecology

BREEDING: Male breeding-season home ranges varied from 0.5-2.3 hectares (mean 1.2 hectares) in Tennessee to 11.0-23.2 hectares (mean 18.8 hectares) in Ontario (Dow 1969).

Like most birds that have open cup nests, incurs a high rate of nest predation. In Ohio, nesting success rate was only 15% (Filliater et al. 1994).

NON-BREEDING: Winter home ranges in Kentucky averaged 21.2 hectares, although these may have been underestimated because of limited observation time (Ritchison and Omer 1990).

Reproduction

Clutch size is 2-5 (usually 3-4). Two to 3, sometimes 4 broods (in south) per year. Incubation 11-13 days, usually by female. Young tended by both parents, leave nest at 9-11 days, independent at 38-45 days. Renests rapidly in response to nest predation (Filliater et al. 1994). Monogamous.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IowaS5BYes
OhioS5Yes
MarylandS5Yes
ColoradoSNAYes
South DakotaS4B,S3NYes
MaineS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS5BYes
New HampshireS5Yes
IllinoisS5Yes
West VirginiaS5B,S5NYes
IndianaS5BYes
North DakotaS4Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
New JerseyS5B,S5NYes
DelawareS5Yes
MassachusettsS5Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
District of ColumbiaS5Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
New YorkS5Yes
TexasS5BYes
FloridaS4Yes
New MexicoS5B,S5NYes
MississippiS5Yes
ConnecticutS5Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
CaliforniaS1Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
NebraskaS5Yes
VermontS5Yes
KansasS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
MissouriS5Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
MichiganS5Yes
Rhode IslandS5BYes
ArizonaS5Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
WisconsinS5BYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS1Yes
New BrunswickS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
QuebecS5Yes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
Roadless Areas (86)
Arizona (25)
AreaForestAcres
Black CanyonPrescott National Forest10,683
Black CrossTonto National Forest5,966
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest951
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Hell HoleApache-Sitgreaves National Forests15,512
Horse MesaTonto National Forest9,146
Lime CreekTonto National Forest42,568
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
Middle Romero WSRCoronado National Forest60
Oracle RoadlessCoronado National Forest22,365
PicachoTonto National Forest4,969
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
PipestemApache-Sitgreaves National Forests34,598
Santa TeresaCoronado National Forest8,929
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Upper Romero WsrCoronado National Forest150
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
Arkansas (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Swan Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest7,310
New Hampshire (5)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Cherry MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,766
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
New Mexico (4)
AreaForestAcres
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Gila BoxGila National Forest23,759
Lower San FranciscoGila National Forest26,460
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
North Carolina (14)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Dobson KnobPisgah National Forest6,111
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Wilson CreekPisgah National Forest4,863
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Tennessee (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bald River Gorge AdditionCherokee National Forest1,728
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Upper Bald RiverCherokee National Forest9,202
Texas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Vermont (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (14)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Crawford MountainGeorge Washington National Forest9,892
James River AdditionJefferson National Forest1,140
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Oliver MountainGeorge Washington National Forest13,090
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
West Virginia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
References (26)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  4. Banks, R. C., and M. R. Browning. 1995. Comments on the status of revived old names for some North American birds. Auk 112:633-648.
  5. Bent, A.C., et al. 1968. Life histories of North American cardinals, grosbeaks, buntings, towhees, finches, sparrows, and allies. Part Two. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 237. (reprinted by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, NY).
  6. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  7. Dow, D. D. 1969. Home range and habitat of the Cardinal in peripheral and central populations. Canadian Journal of Zoology 47:103-114.
  8. Filliater, T. S., R. Breitwisch, and P. M. Nealen. 1994. Predation on northern cardinal nests: does choice of nest site matter? Condor 96:761-768.
  9. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  10. Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp.
  11. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  12. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  13. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  14. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  15. Osborne, J. 1992. The cardinal. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin. 128 pp.
  16. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  17. Peterson, R.T. 1980b. A field guide to the birds of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  18. Peterson, R.T. 1990b. A field guide to western birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  19. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  20. Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 409 pp. + 45 plates.
  21. Ritchison, G., and M. K. Omer. 1990. Winter behavior of Northern Cardinals (CARDINALIS CARDINALIS). Transactions of the Kentucky Academy of Science 51:145-153.
  22. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  23. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  24. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  25. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  26. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.