Cardinal Nesting, Breeding and Baby Facts (Northern Cardinal Nesting Season)

Have you been hearing a lot of cardinals singing in the morning lately?
In this video, you'll learn how northern cardinals take care of their young, about the nesting phases, who incubates the eggs, what the babies eat, and so much more.

Cardinals are known for being very attentive to each other and to their young, and now you get to learn even more about that.

We also reference important studies that looked at predation and nestling survival rate. The study referenced looked at different nesting location types to see what contributed best to nestling survival. Unfortunately, there was no significance between height, access and visibility. Another startling result from this study was that only 15% of the nesting attempts were successful. Keep in mind, a statistic from one field study is not a blanket statistic.

You can help cardinals nest by making sure you have decent shrubs around your home, black oil sunflower seed and access to clean water. Water is actually very important for the parents.

If you do find a nest, make sure food is not too close to it. Also, do not disturb the nest.

Referenced Studies:
Filliater, T. S., Breitwisch, R., & Nealen, P. M. (1994). Predation on Northern Cardinal nests: Does choice of nest site matter?. The Condor, 96(3), 761-768.

Nealen, P. M., & Breitwisch, R. (1997). Northern Cardinal sexes defend nests equally. The Wilson Bulletin, 269-278.


Some footage was via paid stock footage. However most of the footage was my own.

From March - June, you'll hear cardinals singing a lot. But to really get a good glimpse of them singing, try to visit your parks or even walk your neighborhood very early in the morning. Before sunrise and just after are good times. Evening hours can also be good.