Cardinals and squirrels are both common backyard birds that visit bird feeders. However, while cardinals are seed-eating birds that tend to prefer sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, millet, and corn, squirrels are omnivores that eat a much wider variety of foods beyond just seeds.
Cardinals are Specialized Seed Eaters
Cardinals have specialized beaks and digestive systems adapted specifically for crunching into and digesting seeds. Their short, cone-shaped beaks help them crack open tough seed hulls. Cardinals also have powerful jaw muscles and a specialized grinding organ called a gizzard that further helps them break down seeds for digestion. This allows cardinals to access the nutritious oils and fats inside seeds.
In addition to seeds, cardinals will sometimes eat buds, shoots, and berries. However, the bulk of a cardinal’s diet, approximately 90%, consists of seeds from grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees. Cardinals have a particular preference for oily seeds like sunflower, safflower, and nyjer thistle. These fat-rich seeds provide cardinals with the high energy they need, especially during cold winter months and breeding season when they are most active.
Squirrels are Omnivores that Eat Seeds and Much More
In contrast to the specialized diet of cardinals, squirrels are omnivorous, meaning they eat a wide variety of plant and animal foods. Squirrels do consume seeds, especially from trees like oaks, walnuts, and pines. However, seeds make up a much smaller portion of a squirrel’s total diet compared to cardinals.
In addition to seeds, some other foods squirrels eat include:
- Nuts
- Fruit and berries
- Buds and flowers
- Fungi
- Insects
- Bird eggs and nestlings
- Carrion
Squirrels are opportunistic foragers and will eat just about anything they can find, depending on the season. Their broad diet provides squirrels with essential nutrients and calories to sustain them year-round.
Differences in Food Caching Behaviors
Cardinals and squirrels also differ in their food caching strategies. Cardinals do not cache significant amounts of food. Any extra seeds they find are usually eaten immediately. In contrast, squirrels are prolific hoarders, caching and storing away huge amounts of seeds, nuts, and other foods in hiding places.
Squirrels rely on these cached food stores to make it through lean winter months when fresh food is scarce. Cardinals, on the other hand, must seek out new sources of seeds every day to survive. This is why bird feeders are so critical for helping cardinals make it through winter.
Typical Foods Cardinals Eat That Squirrels Don’t
Here is a more detailed look at some of the top foods cardinals eat that squirrels generally avoid or only consume in small amounts:
Safflower Seed
Safflower seed is a favorite food of cardinals but often shunned by squirrels. The hard outer shell of safflower seed is difficult for squirrels to penetrate. Cardinals have an easier time cracking it open with their specialized beaks. Safflower is also lower in fat than many other seeds, making it less desirable to squirrels.
Nyjer Seed
Nyjer seed, also known as thistle seed, is another favorite cardinal food. Nyjer seed has a very thick, hard outer shell. It takes a great deal of effort for squirrels to get to the tiny seed inside. So while cardinals will eagerly consume nyjer seed, squirrels tend to ignore it.
Millet
Millet is a tiny, round seed that is popular with cardinals, especially when mixed with other seeds. However, squirrels often bypass millet. The tiny size and thin hull make millet less efficient and rewarding for a squirrel to eat compared to larger, oil-rich seeds.
Mealworms
Mealworms provide cardinals with protein, fat, and other key nutrients, especially during breeding season when demand is high. Cardinals will readily feed on live and dried mealworms. Squirrels, however, do not typically eat mealworms.
Suet
Suet is made from rendered animal fat and often formulated into suet cakes with seeds, nuts, and berries to attract wild birds. Cardinals enjoy suet as a high-energy winter food. Squirrels, however, are not drawn to suet cakes like birds are.
Fruit
Cardinals will occasionally sample ripe berries and fruits such as mulberries, elderberries, and grapes when available. Squirrels also enjoy fruit, but they have access to a far wider variety than cardinals do, including tree fruits like apples and pears from orchards and backyards.
Do Squirrels Ever Eat Cardinal Foods?
While the foods listed above are more frequently eaten by cardinals compared to squirrels, squirrels will occasionally eat them too in certain situations. For example, during winter when food is scarce, squirrels may work hard to extract safflower and nyjer seeds. Squirrels may also sample fruits preferred by cardinals when available.
Young squirrels in particular, who are honing their foraging skills, are more likely to try foods typically favored by cardinals. So while cardinals prefer certain seeds squirrels generally avoid, hungry or inexperienced squirrels may occasionally eat them too.
How to Attract Cardinals While Discouraging Squirrels
Because cardinals and squirrels often compete for seeds at backyard feeders, many people want to know how to attract cardinals while discouraging squirrel activity. Here are some tips:
- Offer safflower or nyjer seed, which cardinals like but squirrels don’t.
- Try feeders with weight or size restrictions that allow small birds to feed but restrict bigger squirrels.
- Use feeders with cages or baffles that block access for squirrels.
- Position feeders away from trees, fences, and other launching points.
- Apply squirrel repellent like chili pepper powder to deter squirrels.
- Offer suet feeders, which attract insect-eating birds like cardinals but not squirrels.
- Provide separate corn or millet feeders far from other feeders to draw squirrels away.
With smart feeder placement and strategic food choices, you can cater to cardinals’ specialized seed diet while discouraging squirrels. This allows everyone to peacefully co-exist and enjoy their preferred foods!
Conclusion
In summary, while cardinals and squirrels may compete for some of the same seed foods, cardinals are specialized seed-eating birds adapted to crack open and digest tough seeds. Squirrels are omnivores with much more diverse diets. Cardinals prefer small, oil-rich seeds with hard shells like nyjer, safflower, and millet, which squirrels often avoid. Strategic bird feeding with specialized foods like suet and mealworms can help attract cardinals while discouraging greedy squirrels. With the right techniques, bird lovers can enjoy both of these common backyard creatures.
