STRANGE BEHAVIOR OF CARDINAL SONGBIRD
By OLIVENE GODFREY
I've told you in previous columns about our bird feeder which draws many different species of birds and turning our yard into a bird sanctuary. The Northern Cardinal or Redbird is a North American bird in the Cardinal family. It is abundant across the eastern United States from Maine and Texas and in Canada in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia in wood-lands, gardens and and swamps. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red brown shade. The male behavior, marking out his territory, will sing.
Mated pairs, who usually stay together for life sometimes sing together before nesting. During courtship, they may also participate in a bonding behavior where the male collects the food and brings it to the female, feeding her beak to beak. If the mating is successful, this mate-feeding may continue throughout the period of incubation. The female builds cup nest in a well-concealed spot in dense shrub or a low tree three to 10 feet off the ground.
All of the above is to prepare you for the strange behavior of a male Cardinal on our patio. A glass door opens to our patio and has a floor-to- ceiling glass wall. We have several plants placed in front of the glass and the Incredible Poinsettia has some red leaves which matches the color of the the male Cardinal. For several days, the male Cardigan has been flying hard onto the glass door and wall, desperately trying to get inside the house. Son Barry covered the plants but the bird is still in a frenzy. While he is trying to get in the house, he is singing loudly. Barry did some research on the Internet and found out the Cardinal fiercely defends his breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces. it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder. So, we believe that solves the mystery. We will be glad when the eggs hatch and hope the redbird will be busy finding food for the chicks and stop fighting the imaginary Cardinal reflection.
Barry has continued to do spring cleaning here and has also taken care of a lot of odd jobs around the house. He even did some painting in my bathroom and has it looking spiffy.
See you next time.
By OLIVENE GODFREY
I've told you in previous columns about our bird feeder which draws many different species of birds and turning our yard into a bird sanctuary. The Northern Cardinal or Redbird is a North American bird in the Cardinal family. It is abundant across the eastern United States from Maine and Texas and in Canada in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia in wood-lands, gardens and and swamps. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red brown shade. The male behavior, marking out his territory, will sing.
Mated pairs, who usually stay together for life sometimes sing together before nesting. During courtship, they may also participate in a bonding behavior where the male collects the food and brings it to the female, feeding her beak to beak. If the mating is successful, this mate-feeding may continue throughout the period of incubation. The female builds cup nest in a well-concealed spot in dense shrub or a low tree three to 10 feet off the ground.
All of the above is to prepare you for the strange behavior of a male Cardinal on our patio. A glass door opens to our patio and has a floor-to- ceiling glass wall. We have several plants placed in front of the glass and the Incredible Poinsettia has some red leaves which matches the color of the the male Cardinal. For several days, the male Cardigan has been flying hard onto the glass door and wall, desperately trying to get inside the house. Son Barry covered the plants but the bird is still in a frenzy. While he is trying to get in the house, he is singing loudly. Barry did some research on the Internet and found out the Cardinal fiercely defends his breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces. it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder. So, we believe that solves the mystery. We will be glad when the eggs hatch and hope the redbird will be busy finding food for the chicks and stop fighting the imaginary Cardinal reflection.
Barry has continued to do spring cleaning here and has also taken care of a lot of odd jobs around the house. He even did some painting in my bathroom and has it looking spiffy.
See you next time.
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