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The Cardinal (Richmondena cardinalis ) 
By ANNA C. AMES 
OF THE THIRTY-ONE states that have adopted an official bird by legislation, 
six have chosen the Cardinal — Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North 
Carolina, and Virginia. The Cardinal has also been chosen by school chil- 
dren as the state bird of West Virginia. The Cardinal Grosbeak, so called 
because he wears the brilliant garb of a dignitary of the church, is the 
outstanding member of the Fringilliidae family. Formerly a bird of the 
South, he has so expanded his territory that he is a permanent resident of 
the Chicago area. In fact, his range now extends from east of the Plains 
to southern New York, and from Lake Erie (southern Ontario) to southern 
Guatemala. He frequents towns, farms, roadsides, swamps, and parks. He 
is a resident wherever found. 
The Cardinal is our only all red (except for a black patch about his bill) 
bird with a crest. The female is a pale brown with touches of red on wings, 
tail, and crest. Both have a large red bill. Female cardinals vary greatly 
in depth and amount of coloring. 
Cardinals sing the year around. In spring the male cardinal is ardent in 
pursuit of the lady of his choice. According to Gene Stratton-Porter, he 
calls: “Come here! Come here!” He knows she is won when she accepts 
food from his bill. The song of the Western Cardinal is appreciably different 
from that of the eastern bird in that the final notes of the Western are 
rather harsh. 
The female Cardinal sings almost as well as her mate, but in a softer 
strain. The first time that I heard one I thought, “That sounds like a 
Cardinal, yet doesn’t seem quite right.” So I hunted the singer until I 
found her. 
Cardinals are not particular about the location of their loose nests, but 
do like a site with a considerable cover, such as a heavily-leaved grapevine, 
vine-covered stump, brush heap, or thicket of dense bushes. The eggs, 2, 
3, or 4 in number, vary in color from white to bluish, grayish, or greenish, 
but they are always splotched with various shades of brown, purple, and 
lilac. The nest is lined with rootlets and, if available, horsehair. 
The male is very attentive to his mate, staying near and singing while 
she is building the nest, and, during the twelve days of incubation, bringing 
food when she asks for it. Both parents assume care of the young during 
the nine or ten days that they remain in the nest. When the young are able 
to fly a little, the father takes sole charge and guards them for three weeks 
or more while the mother is busy hatching a second set of eggs. I have seen 
the father chaperoning the dainty little fawn-colored birds when as yet 
they showed no sign of the color that later was to be theirs. They resemble 
the mother except for the lack of any red. Even the bills are black. By fall 
they have attained adult plumage. Cardinals raise two and sometimes three 
broods in a season. 
Cardinals, with their large, stout bills, are very useful birds, as they 
feed not only on fruits and nuts but also on the seeds of injurious weeds 
and on a great variety of destructive insects. The species has been intro- 
duced in Hawaii and Bermuda. 
929 Brummel Street, Evanston, IIl. 
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