Northern cardinal

Monogamous, northerns cardinals have a single partner for life. Some experts say, however, that 9 to 35% of their offspring are from extra-conjugal relations!

The male defends his territory against other males. To attract a female, he sings, dances and engages in other courtship behaviour.

To build a nest, the female chooses a thicket, bush or shrub. The cup-shaped nest is made of twigs, grass, bark, roots, leaves and even paper, and is sometimes lined with grass and hair. The female lays from one to five white, greenish or bluish eggs, speckled with brown. She incubates them for 11 to 13 days, while the male feeds her.

The chicks leave the nest 7 to 13 days after hatching, but the parents continue to feed them for another month. After that, they join other groups of juveniles, but do not become adults until the following year.

Northern cardinals may have more than one clutch per year, in which case the male guards the most recent clutch while the female builds a new nest.