Cardinals are popular and beloved backyard birds found across much of North America. Their bright red plumage and loud songs make them easy to identify. Many people enjoy watching cardinals visit their feeders or build nests in their yards. Understanding the cardinal’s breeding and nesting season can help people provide the best habitat and increase their chances of observing these special birds raising their young.
Cardinal Nesting Season
The timing of nesting and baby season for cardinals relates closely to the warming spring temperatures. Here are some key details:
- Cardinals can raise up to 3 broods per breeding season from March through September.
- Peak egg laying occurs in April, May, and June.
- Most fledglings leave the nest in May, June, and July.
- Some late nests may fledge young as late as early September.
The exact timing varies across the cardinal’s wide range and depending on seasonal weather patterns each year. But in general, spring brings ripe conditions for nest building, egg laying, and rearing nestlings to take flight.
Cardinal Courtship
The breeding season kicks off in late winter when cardinals start singing more frequently. This helps them establish breeding territories and attract mates. By early March, cardinals begin courtship feeding. The male cardinal will bring seeds and insects to the female, offering her food as part of their pair bond.
This courtship feeding continues through the breeding cycle as the male helps feed the female while she incubates eggs and broods young nestlings. It strengthens their bond and improves care for the offspring.
Nest Building
Once a mated pair is formed, they will start searching for a nest location. Cardinals typically build their nests in dense, thorny vegetation that helps conceal and protect the nest. Common nest sites include:
- Thorny shrubs and small trees like hawthorn, pyracantha, etc.
- Dense evergreens like holly, yew, arborvitae, etc.
- Vines growing against fences or buildings
- Brush piles
The female cardinal builds the nest while the male stands guard. She constructs a sturdy cup made of twigs, stems, leaves, and sometimes trash, then lines it with softer grass and pine needles. Nest building usually takes 3-9 days.
Egg Laying
Once the nest is ready, the female lays a clutch of 3-4 eggs, one per day. Cardinal eggs are oval, about 1 inch long, and light grayish or bluish-white with brown spots.
The female incubates the eggs for 11-13 days while being fed by the male. Some bird watchers are able to observe the changing number of eggs in a nest over successive days to determine when a full clutch has been laid.
Hatching
After just under two weeks of incubation, the eggs begin to hatch. The young cardinals emerge blind and helpless, covered in light grey down. They weigh only about 1.5 grams at hatching!
Both parents share duty of brooding the nestlings to keep them warm during these vulnerable first days. They also work together to bring food to the hungry young birds every few minutes from dawn to dusk.
Cardinal Nestling Growth
The nestling cardinals grow incredibly fast thanks to their nonstop feeding. Here is the timeline of early development:
- Eyes open at about 5 days old
- Pinfeathers emerge around 7 days old
- Nestlings fledge (leave the nest) at 9-11 days old
The short time in the nest is necessary so the parents can move on to the next brood. Fledglings still can’t fly well at this stage. They remain dependent on their parents for another 2-3 weeks. The male cardinal feeds and guards the young while the female often starts the next nesting cycle.
Fledging
Those 9-11 days pass in a blur, and soon the nestlings are ready to take their first flights. Just before fledging, their wing and tail feathers will have grown enough for short flights.
The parents coax the young out of the nest, often by withholding food. The fledglings will flutter down to the ground or onto a low branch, where the parents continue to feed and protect them. Brown fledglings begging from red parents are a common sight in summer.
Fledgling cardinals need to practice flying and evading danger through their juvenile period. They also are still honing their foraging skills. Cardinal fledglings may still receive some care from their parents for 2-3 weeks after leaving the nest.
Raising Multiple Broods
As soon as a brood fledges, the female cardinal begins constructing the next nest while the male cares for the young. Cardinals routinely raise 2-3 broods per mating season. The desire to mate and lay more eggs drives the rapid progress.
Each successive clutch may contain fewer eggs. Clutch size ranges from 3-4 eggs early in the season down to 2-3 eggs in later broods. Even so, the parents work tirelessly to raise as many young as possible in a short period of time.
This high reproductive success helps explain why cardinals are abundant through their range despite the many dangers faced by eggs and young birds. Predators, severe weather, disease, and starvation all take a toll. But with multiple broods, some young usually survive to maintain the population.
Nesting Fun Facts
Here are a few more interesting bits of trivia related to cardinals nesting and raising young:
- A female cardinal can lay up to 15 or more eggs per season across 3 broods.
- Both parents develop a bare brood patch on the belly to transfer warmth to eggs.
- Male and female both feed nestlings through regurgitation.
- Most pairs raise at least 4-7 young each season that survive to leave the nest.
- Some cardinals in the south may raise 4 broods in a season thanks to a longer breeding period.
Backyard Tips to Help Cardinals
You can improve the nesting habitat in your yard to help cardinals raise more young. Here are some useful tips:
- Let brush and brambles grow in a back corner.
- Avoid trimming hedges and vines during spring.
- Plant native berry-producing shrubs.
- Provide nest boxes or platforms if cover is scarce.
- Supply a bird bath for drinking and bathing.
- Feed mealworms for extra protein.
- Limit pesticide use which reduces insect food for young.
A natural landscape with mature trees and shrubs, along with strategically placed nest boxes, can make your yard more attractive to nesting cardinals.
Enjoy the Show
One of the delights of cardinal nesting season is observing their behaviors in your backyard. Watching the pair build a nest, feed begging fledglings, or seeing young take their first flights from the nest are memorable moments.
But be sure to enjoy the process at a distance. Getting too close can make the parents nervous and abandon the nest. Let the Cardinals raise their families without undue interference or stress.
If you notice any signs of disturbance like frequent scolding calls when you approach, back away and avoid the area. This will ensure your yard remains a safe place for more Cardinals to nest and thrive in the future.
Conclusion
Cardinals time their breeding cycle to take advantage of the abundant food and ideal spring conditions for raising young. By starting as early as March, they can raise up to 3 broods over the warmer months. Multiple clutches allow more young birds to join the population each season.
Understanding this nesting timeline helps birders know when to watch for courtship, nest building, egg laying, and fledglings being fed by busy parents. With good habitat and some extra provisions, you may get to experience the cardinal’s nesting wonder up close in your own backyard. Just be sure to observe and enjoy without disturbing the special process.
