In Florida, cardinals stay year-round. Above, you see the male bird on the left and the female on the right. The female's drabber color allows her to hide from predators while nesting.
Habitat -
They like thickets and shrubbery for nesting.
Diet -
Although adult birds mainly eat seeds, grains, and fruit, they feed their young only insects.
Lifespan -
The usual lifespan of the cardinal in the wild is 3 years, but some have lived much longer, up to 13 or 15 years.
Special behavior -
I have watched the female sit on a branch to the side while the male visited the bird feeder. He would grab a seed and fly over to the female and feed it to her. This might be part of the their mating routine. She really seems to like being fed this way. And this goes on for quite some time!
