ISU Extension News

Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915

1/23/03

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Linda Naeve, Reiman Gardens, (515) 294-2710, lnaeve@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033, jmcguire@iastate.edu

Cardinals Brighten the Winter Landscape

By Linda Naeve
Extension Coordinator, Reiman Gardens

Color in the landscape comes in many forms. In the summer, bright flowers, foliage and the green canopy of leaves on trees and shrubs provide a tranquil, relaxing mood. In the winter months, besides the evergreens, the dried, tan and rust colors of ornamental grasses, and a few remaining berries and crabapples, there isn't much visual interest, especially without a blanket of white snow to set them off. That is, until a bright red, male cardinal enters the picture. The beauty of a single cardinal adds life and sparkle to the winter landscape like a single spot of color in a black and white photo.

This week's Reiman's Pick - the cardinal or more specifically, the northern cardinal - is a special guest in the garden in winter or summer. It is among the most recognized birds with its bright red feathers and crest on the top of its head. The male cardinal is brilliant red with a black face and a dull red beak. The female cardinal lacks the bright plumage but is attractive in her own way. She is grayish olive on her upper body and pale below with varying amounts of red on her crest, wings and tail.

The cardinal's thick, heavy bill enables it to easily crack sunflower seeds open to get the kernel inside. Although they are primarily seedeaters, they will feed on insects and fruits in season. Cardinals are gardeners' friends in the summer because the birds eat many harmful insects, such as grasshoppers, grubs, caterpillars and beetles. According to some sources, up to 30 percent of a cardinal's diet is insects. A majority of the food brought to young in the nest is insects, such as caterpillars, grubs and other larvae.

Cardinals are non-migratory birds. They stay in Iowa through the winter and make frequent appearances at well-stocked feeders. They are attracted to feeders containing oil and striped sunflower seeds, sunflower chips, safflower and cracked corn.

Not only are cardinals beautiful in the garden, they entertain us with their singing and behavior. In late January and February in Iowa, you will hear male cardinals begin to sing. This establishes their territory and begins the interesting courtship process. Female cardinals also sing beautifully. During courtship the female initiates the singing and the male repeats her song.

In the summer, when your windows are open or you are in your garden, cardinals can clearly be heard singing their distinct songs. Although there are many variations, the songs sound something like "what-chew, what-chew, wit wit wit" and "birdy-birdy-birdy."

Cardinals begin constructing their nests in early spring. They build their nests in areas of dense cover. In urban gardens, they will nest in short evergreens, roses and shrubs. The nests are usually found four or five feet off the ground, but may be on a side branch 20 feet high. Cardinals are monogamous, and a pair of cardinals will have two or three broods each summer.

Cardinals are very territorial. Males defend their territory against outside males and females defend against other females. I have occasionally heard stories about people frustrated with a male cardinal in their yard. It seems a male cardinal will repeatedly ram itself into the same window, day after day, attempting to fight the "intruder," which is really its own reflection.

The Latin word for cardinal is "important." The cardinal is important and admired in many ways. It has been adopted as the official bird of seven states - more than any other bird. It is the team name for a professional baseball and football team. One of Iowa State University's most recognizable icons, a big cardinal named "Cy" has visited the Gardens a few times. And during these cold months, the cardinals that visit Reiman Gardens brighten the winter landscape.

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Editors: A color photo, suitable for publication, is available at right. Click on the thumbnail photo to go to the fullsized photo. The picture's fullsize photo is 420K.

Caption: Cardinal


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