Cardinal Bird Feeder: All About Cardinals And How To Feed Them In Your Garden
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Cardinals are my favorite bird to feed. Why? Simple, they are great to look at and they stay all year round. That’s right, Cardinals are non-migratory birds and there is always a full Cardinal bird feeder in my garden.
Unusually, both the males and females sing – and this song can be heard most of the year but mostly during the start of the breeding season.
The breeding season starts around February when the males start to establish their individual territory – which they will defend very rigorously. The females will pick males based on haw “attractive” the males are – the redder the better. And while Cardinals are thought to mate for life, the males will engage in breeding with other available females if they get the chance. Sounds like a familiar male behaviour!
Cardinals are very prolific in their breeding - raising as many as 3 seperate broods in a season. Each brood will consist of 3 or 4 eggs that only take 15 days to hatch.
It is the female of the species who does most of the hard work actually building the nest. The nest takes about a week to build and is a simple “cup” like affair. They will build several of these during the season. They prefer to nest in dense shrubs, 10 to 15 foot above ground level, and they will never try to build nests in a man-made bird house.
Given that they nest relatively close to the ground, predators (such as cats and pole-cats) can be a problem for them – which is probably why nature made them so quick to raise multiple broods in quick time.
While nesting, the males job is to bring food to the female and to the fledglings, which he will do several times a day. He will protect his partner and offspring and will always be found close at hand, singing to them.
They are also a long-lived species. If they survive the first winter, they will usually last for 10-15 years as long as they can find adequate food and shelter.
Another little known fact about cardinals is that they molt in the Autumn months. Not only that, they also use ants to rid themsleves of unwanted mites, lice and feathers – this is called “anting”.
As for the best Cardinal bird feeder, it should be understood that these birds are by nature ground feeders, and thus the best wat to feed them is with a platform based feeder. If you try to use a bird house or feeder with a small perching areas, they will not use it. Try to put a tube feeder with a feeding tray about 8 feet high and realtively close to their natural shrub like habitat. This will allow them to feel at home on the feeder and will attract them.
In terms of cardinal bird feed, they prefer black-oil sunflower which is rich in protein, but they will also eat other seeds such as cracked-corn and millet and will happily accept mealworm. Always provide water as this will also be a big attractor.
Also, depending on how far north you live, you may want to provide a heated bird bath.
Cardinals love these!
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Bird Watching is said to be one of the most relaxing and peaceful hobbies that anyone can do.
