December 25, 1998

     Northern Cardinal

The northern cardinals usually are the earliest birds at the feeders in the morning and the last to leave at dusk, sometimes feeding so late duringwinter days that we have trouble seeing them.  They never tire of sunflower seeds, but they also will eat cracked corn, wheat, suet mixtures, barley, millet, peanuts, melon seeds, raisins, cornbread and even white bread.

This bird, more than any other, has come to symbolize bird feeding in the Upper Midwest.  The availability of feeding stations has made their northward expansion possible.

In the 19th century the cardinal was only a visitor, entering Minnesota from the southeast along the Mississippi River.  It was not until the mid-1930s that it was established as a permanent resident in the Twin Cities.  Planted and native evergreens help provide shelter and encourage range expansion, along with plentiful food supplies in feeders.