Bird Biographies

								


(Cardinals belong to the Grosbeak group of the large Finch or Sparrow
Family, or the Fringillidæ.)
Length: About 8¼ inches; slightly smaller than the robin.
General Appearance: Brilliant rose-red plumage; crested head and thick

    beak.
Male: A soft cardinal red, except for a black throat, a black band

    encircling bill, and, in winter, a grayish tinge to wings. Bill

    large, heavy, and light red. Red crest conspicuous; it may be raised

    and lowered at will. Tail long and slender; it is twitched nervously

    and frequently.
Female: Brownish-gray above, yellowish underneath. Crest, wings, and

    tail reddish--the color especially noticeable in flight. Throat and

    band about bill grayish-black.
Call-note: A sharp, insistent tsip, tsip.
Song: A loud and clear, yet sweet and mellow whistle, cheer, cheer,

    he-u, he-u, he-u, repeatedly rapidly with descending inflection,

    and with nearly an octave in range. The female, unlike most of her

    sex in the bird-world, is also a fine singer; her soft melodious

    warble is considered by many listeners to be superior to the song of

    her mate.
Habitat: "Shrubbery is its chosen haunt, the more tangled the better.

    Here the nest is built and here they spend most of their days.

    Higher trees are usually sought only under the inspiration of

    song."[10]
Range: From southeastern South Dakota, Iowa, northern Indiana and Ohio,

    southeastern and southwestern Pennsylvania, southern Hudson Valley,

    south to the Gulf States; a resident of Bermuda. Cardinals are not

    migratory.
Cardinals are especially numerous in our Southern States. They abound in
Florida and Bermuda, where their brilliant coloring contrasts
wonderfully with the light sands and the coral limestone. A cardinal
singing in an hibiscus bush, laden with gorgeous red blooms, makes a
never-to-be-forgotten memory; while a sight of one in a blossoming
Virginia dog-wood tree or against a northern snow-scene is equally
memorable. These birds are great favorites in the South, rivaling the
mockingbirds in the affections of many people. In the North, a glimpse
of a cardinal marks a red-letter day; and bird-lovers whose kind hands
spread bountiful tables for winter residents, count themselves highly
favored to have a pair of cardinals for their guests. Aside from the joy
which their beauty and their song bring, they possess great practical
value.
Mr. W. L. McAtee, of the Biological Survey, writes that about one-fourth
of the cardinal's food consists of destructive pests such as the worms
which infest cotton plants, and numerous other caterpillars, besides
grasshoppers, scale insects, beetles, and others. A large part of their
food consists of the seeds of troublesome weeds and of wild fruits. "The
bird has a record for feeding on many of the worst agricultural
pests."[11] No sins are laid at his door. "Cardinals are usually seen in