BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



Range: From southeastern South Dakota, Iowa, northern In- 

 diana and Ohio, southeastern and southwestern Penn- 

 sylvania, southern Hudson Valley, south to the Gulf 

 States; a resident of Bermuda. Cardinals are not 

 migratory. 



CARDINALS are especially numerous in our South- 

 ern States. They abound in Florida and Bermuda, 

 where their brilliant coloring contrasts wonderfully widi 

 the light sands and the coral limestone. A cardinal sing- 

 ing 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 car- 

 dinals for their guests. Aside from the joy which their 

 beauty and their song bring, they possess great practical 

 value. 



Mr. W. T. Atee, of the Biological Survey, writes that 

 about one-fourth of the cardinal's food consists of destruc- 

 tive 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." ^ No sins are laid at 

 his door. "Cardinals are usually seen in pairs, but in 



2 Farmers' Bulletin 755, Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



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