The cardinal is a common backyard bird found throughout much of North America. With its bright red plumage and loud, whistling call, the northern cardinal is easily identifiable. However, there are other birds that have calls similar to the cardinal that could potentially be mistaken for this red songbird. Knowing the typical vocalizations of the cardinal and how to distinguish them from sound-alike species can help you accurately identify the birds frequenting your yard.
The northern cardinal has a wide repertoire of vocalizations used for communicating different messages. Their most common and familiar call is described as a loud, metallic whistle typically sounding like “what-cheer” or “purdy, purdy, purdy”. The male cardinal uses this whistled song to mark his territory and attract a mate. It is one of the bird sounds people most associate with cardinals. However, the cardinal also makes other sounds, including short chipping notes, high-pitched rising tones, and buzzy, metallic calls. This variety of vocalizations allows cardinals to signal different types of information to other birds.
Some birds share similarities with cardinal vocalizations, making identification tricky at times. However, paying close attention to the timing, pitch, tone, and inflection of the calls can help pinpoint the species. Below are some of the most common birds that have calls which sound like cardinals:
Northern Mockingbird
The northern mockingbird is one songbird that is notorious for mimicking the sounds of other birds. These vocal copycats can pick up the distinctive songs and calls of cardinals living nearby and incorporate them into their own extensive repertoire. When mimicking a cardinal, they may repeat a string of whistled notes similar to a cardinal’s song. However, mockingbirds can cycle through many sounds in rapid succession, while cardinals repeat the same whistled phrase multiple times in consistent renditions. Mockingbirds also have much more varied vocalizations compared to the more limited song types of cardinals. Being able to recognize when different song elements mismatch the cardinal’s song can help distinguish mockingbirds from cardinals.
Mourning Dove
Mourning doves make soft, plaintive cooing calls that have a gentle quality unlike the piercing whistles of cardinals. However, the mournful cooing sometimes gets incorporated into their song as an introduction, followed by louder, whistled elements. This whistled portion may sound similar to a cardinal’s song, despite coming from the petite, slender dove. Listening for the distinctive cooing preceding the whistles can confirm the bird making the call is a mourning dove and not a cardinal. The tonal quality and pitch of the whistles also differ, with the dove’s whistles being breathier and higher-pitched than the cardinal.
Tufted Titmouse
The tufted titmouse is a small, gray songbird that makes very cardinal-like vocalizations. Their repetitive, whistled notes can closely resemble a cardinal’s song. Often described as a “peto” call, these whistled sequences lack the strong, metallic quality of a cardinal but have a similar cadence. Paying close attention to the pitch and tone can help decipher these look-alike calls. Titmice also make more variable chip and chatter vocalizations compared to cardinals. Additionally, titmice are found farther north than cardinals in some regions, so range can aid identification.
Black-capped Chickadee
Another small gray songbird, the black-capped chickadee, also makes whistled calls that can be mistaken for a cardinal. Their song is described as a “fee-bee” whistle, usually two slurred whistled notes with the second note lower pitched. Chickadees repeat these whistled notes in a sound sequence reminiscent of a cardinal. However, the “fee-bee” song has a faster, more frantic tempo than the methodical, evenly-paced strings of whistles made by cardinals. Chickadees also vocalize with lots of chatter calls that sound nothing like cardinal vocalizations. These chattering elements are key clues that you’re hearing a chickadee, not a cardinal.
Brown Thrasher
Brown thrashers are adept songbirds belonging to the mimic family, able to copy sounds from other birds. One of the common songs they mimic is the northern cardinal. A brown thrasher may repeat a series of cardinal-like whistled phrases, sounding convincing in its imitation when not directly compared to a cardinal. However, listening to their full repertoire reveals the brown thrasher’s cardinals songs are usually interspersed with phrases mimicking other species. The wide variety of sounds outside of the cardinal vocalizations helps identify the vocalist as a brown thrasher.
Identifying Cardinal Vocalizations
To summarize cardinal vocalizations that can help distinguish them from sound-alike birds:
- Loud, metallic, piercing quality
- Whistled phrases follow a consistent rhythm and tempo
- Repeated whistled notes have a stereotypical “what-cheer” or “purdy, purdy, purdy” quality
- Limited vocal repertoire concentrated around whistled songs
- Year-round resident across much of range, so expected in area
Below is a table summarizing the key differences in calls of birds often confused with cardinals:
| Bird Species | Vocalization Differences from Cardinal |
|---|---|
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimics many sounds in succession; Cardinal mimicked intermittently |
| Mourning Dove | Distinctive cooing precedes whistles; Whistles higher pitched |
| Tufted Titmouse | ”Peto” whistles sound thinner, lack crispness |
| Black-capped Chickadee | ”Fee-bee” faster tempo than Cardinal; Chatter calls interspersed |
| Brown Thrasher | Cardinal mimicked amidst other mimicry |
Listening for a combination of rhythm, pitch, tone, and repertoire can help disentangle Northern Cardinal vocalizations from other bird species with cardinal-like sounds. Slowing down and really focusing on the details of the sounds you hear will improve your bird identification abilities over time. Backyard birding by ear takes patience and practice, but identifying cardinals by their quintessential whistled strings will soon become second nature with concerted listening.
Conclusion
The northern cardinal has a loud, whistled “what-cheer” song that makes it one of the most recognizable backyard birds. However, there are a number of other bird species that can produce calls similar to the cardinal’s. By paying close attention to the rhythmic repetition, metallic quality, limited variety, and year-round presence of the cardinal’s vocals, you can distinguish its whistles from sound-alike birds. Listening for different phrasing, pitches, tones, and repertoires in species like mockingbirds, doves, titmice, chickadees, and thrashers can help confirm the caller is not a cardinal. With practice, tuning your ear into the cardinal’s signature voice will help you readily identify this red songster, even among other birds that may sound the same.
