Cardinals are fantastic birds! What’s not to like about a bright red and fancy bird with a cheerful whistled song?
Even better, Northern Cardinals are common and can live right in your backyard. Like any bird, cardinals set up houses in places with lots of good feeding opportunities. Give cardinals the right things to eat and you should see them all year long!
What exactly do cardinals eat? What do they feed their babies and how often do they come to feeders?
Key takeaways:
- Cardinals are omnivores – their diet consists of different insects, fruits, berries, and of course, seeds and nuts.
- When it comes to feeding cardinals, there is no right or wrong. They like different seeds, the higher the fat content, the better.
The Diet of Cardinals
Cardinals have a varied diet that helps them thrive in backyard bushes, parks, and other places with second growth. Like a lot of songbirds, they eat insects, but they also feed on seeds and fruits. This opportunistic diet makes it possible for Cardinals to live in the same area all year long.
In early spring, watch for Cardinals foraging on the ground. They are probably picking a variety of seeds from the ground and can also eat corn and some other grains. When the trees start to bud, they will eat some of those flower buds along with caterpillars and other insects that become active in warmer weather.
During the hot summer months, Northern Cardinals continue to eat a variety of seeds and insects. They catch and eat most bugs that they can find, mostly in low vegetation, especially beetles, moths, crickets, and grasshoppers.
They can also eat cicadas, tiny snails, spiders, and centipedes!
In fall and winter, as the weather gets cool and insects disappear, Northern Cardinals switch to eating seeds and fruit. They eat a variety of seeds, especially from “weedy” plants like Ragweed, Foxtail, and Smartweed.
They also pick grapes, blackberries, mulberries, and fruits from sumac, Spicebush, Honeysuckle, and other plants.
What Do Baby Cardinals Eat?
It’s hard to see what parent cardinals bring to their babies because food is usually hidden in their deep, strong beaks. However, it is widely believed they bring younglings insects and other arthropods.
This is typical for most songbirds, even some that mostly eat seeds. Insects are vital for baby birds because they provide lots of much-needed protein. If they don’t get those bugs, the tiny birds can’t grow and quickly die; all the more reason to NOT use pesticides in the backyard.
To help their babies grow, Northern Cardinals feed them shortly after they hatch. For the first couple days, the father brings crickets, beetles, and other insects to their mother at or near the nest. She places those mashed-up bugs directly into the baby bird’s mouth, and the male eventually does this, too.
As they grow, although their parents might give them occasional chewed up seeds, Cardinals mostly feed them arthropods.
Around a week to ten days after hatching, baby Cardinals leave their nest but stay on nearby branches. Their parents continue to bring them food, and to help them fly as soon as possible, they can feed each baby about 8 times per hour for the next 11 days!
What Do Cardinals Eat At Feeders?
Cardinals are one of the most beautiful birds in the backyard and yes, they also love feeders! They might not dominate a feeder or spend as much time at it like some other birds but will eventually pay a visit.
In general, Northern Cardinals come to feeders more in the early morning and late afternoon. However, in winter, if you offer them good food at a clean platform feeder, they might spend much of the day at or close to it.
Northern Cardinals also come to feeders in spring and summer, but don’t be surprised if they hardly visit, or you see them more often in other parts of the backyard. Don’t worry, the birds haven’t forgotten about your feeder. They are just busy finding plenty of bugs for their babies!
The feeder foods that Northern Cardinals like the most are oily, energy-rich seeds like black sunflower. These seeds, in particular, are their favorite, but they will also eat other types of sunflower seeds, safflower, millet, and milo.
Read more: Bird seeds & the birds they attract
To add some variety to their feeder diet, you can also give them some crushed, unsalted peanuts, cracked corn, and suet. Northern Cardinals will be happy to eat these feeder offerings too, especially in the winter!
Peeling Fruits & Other Fun Facts
- Northern Cardinals tend to prefer seeds that have higher levels of protein and fat; this gives them more energy during the winter.
- Cardinals like feeders near bushes and trees so they can fly to cover if they see a predator.
- Northern Cardinals can take seeds from a variety of feeders, but it’s easier for them to feed from an open platform feeder.
- To keep Cardinals happy in the backyard, plant Hackberry, wild grape vines, Blackberry, and other bushes that produce berries.
- Cardinals might prefer to visit feeders in the early morning and late evening to avoid predators.
- Northern Cardinal’s strong beaks can crack open lots of seeds but they also eat insects, especially in the summer.
- When Cardinals eat grapes, they often peel them first and throw away the skin!
- On rare occasions, Cardinals have been seen feeding on dead mice. However, the birds probably didn’t hunt and kill those small rodents. Instead, they likely found and scavenged the carcass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cardinals only eat seeds?
No, cardinals also eat insects, other arthropods, and fruit.
What kinds of seeds do cardinals prefer the most?
Cardinals love black oil sunflower seeds, safflower, and seeds from native plants like Ragweed and Foxtail.
Can cardinals eat insects?
Cardinals can and do eat insects, in fact, insects are an important part of their diets. They eat beetles and other insects in spring and summer.
Do cardinals eat human food?
In general, cardinals don’t eat human food. However, they can eat oats, corn, and unsalted peanuts.