The male cardinal is an easy bird to spot, thanks to its bright red plumage. The cardinal is one of the first birds our daughter learned to spot and it remains one of her favorites!

Cardinals have a rare reddish beak which is offset by a circle of black feathers close to their eyes. The male is dressed from head to toe in beautiful red feathers, while the female has a crown of red with a dress of greenish-grey feathers tipped in red.

Cardinals are typically found near bushes where they like to build their nests. The females typically lay around 3 to 4 eggs, which they sit on till they hatch. The male will attend to the female, bringing her food, as she waits for the eggs to hatch.

The young of the cardinal is dull colored and has darker bills. This is so that they don’t stand out, which would make the little fledglings easy targets for predators. The families will stay together throughout the winter before the fledglings will head out the following spring to find mates of their own.

Fun Fact – The cardinal is the state bird for seven different states!

Teaching Science at Home

Want to learn more about cardinals? Check out the following articles:

• Check out the things to know about the Northern Cardinal birds here.
• Northern Cardinal for Kids: Learn about the beautiful red bird.
• {Video} Watch a basic introduction to identifying and feeding Northern Cardinals.

Related Homeschool Science Activities

Keep the learning going with these science activities!

• Head outside and listen for the call of the cardinal. (Note – You can find this through the Audubon bird app.)
• Check out these FREE printable science activity sheets for kids on Cardinals here.