It can be a satisfying experience to draw cardinals to your garden because these vivid red birds liven up any garden and add charm. Cardinal birds are vibrant and resourceful feeders, thriving on a diverse diet that includes cardinal bird food such as seeds, fruits, and insects. Here are some tips for improving the cardinal appeal of your garden.
Provide the favoured meals of cardinals, such as cracked corn, safflower seeds and sunflower seeds, in a robust feeder with a wide perch to draw them into your yard. Plant dense shrubs or evergreen trees providing cover to create a secure haven for birds, and supply fresh water in a birdbath, preferably with flowing water. Reduce risks even further by avoiding chemicals and keeping cats indoors. Cardinals can be drawn in even more by planting fruit-bearing native plants like dogwoods and serviceberries, which provide them with natural food sources and cover.
Recognizing Cardinal Diets
Due to their striking red feathers and characteristic crests, cardinals are one of the most beloved and sought-after garden birds. It’s a satisfying experience to draw these colorful birds to your garden, and feeding them well will ensure that they return. We’ll go over the finest foods for cardinals, their advantages, and how to feed them in this extensive guide to increase your chances of drawing in and raising these lovely birds.
Best cardinal bird food
Sunflower Seeds: Greatest Cuisine
Black-oil sunflower seeds are the best option for feeding cardinals. These are tiny, simple to open, and nutrient-rich seeds that are essential for cardinals. Cardinals require a high fat content to provide them the energy they need to survive, especially in the winter when food supplies are limited.
Advantages:
Elevated Nutritiousness: The fat content of black-oil sunflower seeds is high, and cardinals need fat to stay energised.
Accessibility: Cardinals can easily break through the thin shells using their powerful beaks.
Broad Appeal: Although cardinals are the primary users of these seeds, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches are among the other attractive backyard birds that are drawn to them.
How to Offer: To hold black-oil sunflower seeds, use a robust hopper feeder, platform feeder, or tube feeder with a wide perch. Due to their middle stature and preference for a firm perch when feeding, cardinals should have easy access to the feeder.
Safflower Seeds: A Staple Food
Another great option for feeding cardinals is sunflower seeds. Cardinals appear to appreciate these seeds, while less desirable species like squirrels and starlings are turned off by their little bitterness. Cardinals need certain nutrients, which sunflower seeds supply in abundance. They are also high in fat and protein.
Advantages:
Selective Appeal: Cardinals have a higher chance of obtaining food when they eat safflower seeds because they are less appealing to other animals like squirrels.
Nutritional Content: Rich in fat and protein, safflower seeds are similar to sunflower seeds in this regard. These nutrients are especially important for cardinals during the breeding season.
How to Offer: Sunflower and cornflower seeds can be placed in the same kinds of feeders. Additionally, they can be combined with sunflower seeds to make a combination that attracts cardinals only.
White Millet: An Additive Seed
Cardinals do not primarily eat white millet, although it can be a helpful supplement to their diet. Although white millet is less nutrient-dense and smaller than sunflower or safflower seeds, it’s frequently included to seed mixtures that draw a range of birds, including cardinals.
Advantages:
Cost-effective: White millet can provide bulk to seed mixtures and is less expensive than sunflower seeds.
Versatility: White millet attracts other ground-feeding birds as well as cardinals, increasing the diversity of birds in your yard.
How to Offer: Seed mixtures are the ideal way to present white millet. Spread it around the ground or use a platform feeder to draw ground-feeding birds such as juncos and cardinals
Snack for Cardinals: Cracked Corn
A common option for bird enthusiasts to feed a variety of backyard birds, including cardinals, is cracked corn. Even though it shouldn’t make up the majority of their diet, it can be a useful addition, especially during the winter when there are less natural food sources.
Advantages:
Rich in Energy: Because of its high carbohydrate content, cracked maize gives you energy quickly, especially in cold conditions.
Economical: It can be combined with other seeds to make an affordable feed, and it is comparatively cheap.
How to Offer:
Provide cracked maize either on the ground or in a platform feeder. But exercise caution—cracked maize can sometimes draw undesirable animals like pigeons and squirrels.
Peanuts: A High-Protein Choice
Another great food source for cardinals is shelled peanuts, either whole or in parts. Peanuts are a great source of energy because they’re high in protein and fat. They also replicate the natural diversity of a cardinal’s food sources, adding a little variation to their diet.
Advantages:
High Nutrition Content: Packed with oil and protein, peanuts help cardinals meet their energy and general health demands.
Draws in Other Wildlife: Woodpeckers, jays, and other large songbirds can be attracted to peanuts, in addition to cardinals.
How to Offer: Make use of a platform feeder or a peanut-specific feeder. Offer only shelled, unsalted peanuts; salt ruins birds’ appetites.
Mealworms: A Source of Protein
Although not a regular part of their diet, cardinals will sometimes consume insects, especially in the breeding season when they are more in need of protein. Live or dried mealworms are a great method to add extra protein to their diet.
Advantages:
High Protein: Mealworms are high in protein, which is necessary for adult cardinals’ upkeep as well as the growth of young birds.
Draws in Additional Birds: You may draw more insect-eating birds to your yard by providing mealworms.
How to Offer: Serve mealworms from a platform feeder or shallow bowl. Although dried mealworms are a more practical choice, live mealworms can be very alluring.
Selecting the Appropriate Feeder
Just as crucial as picking the proper meal is choosing the correct feeder. Given their modest size, cardinals require feeders that suit both their eating preferences and body types. Here are some pointers for choosing a feeder that would appeal to cardinals:
Hopper feeders: To shield the seeds from the weather, these feeders feature a large platform and a roof. These are perfect for providing a range of seeds, such as safflower and sunflower seeds.
Platform feeders: Plenty of room for cardinals to perch comfortably as they eat is provided by these open, flat feeders. They are adaptable and have the capacity to contain a wide range of items, such as fruits, peanuts, and seeds.
Large-Perch Tube Feeders: If you’d rather use a tube feeder, look for one that has a tray connected or one with large perches to accommodate cardinals. For cardinals, regular tube feeders with small perches are frequently too challenging to use.
Additional Tips for Attracting Cardinals
Location Is Important: Put feeders close to shrubs or trees so cardinals have easy access to cover. When feeders are near natural cover, they are more likely to visit them.
The Secret Is Consistency: Cardinals are habitual beings. When cardinals are most active, which is in the early morning and late evening, make sure your feeders are always loaded.
Provide Fresh Water: To attract cardinals, place a shallow water dish or birdbath. They will stay in your yard longer if you have a consistent source of water for them to drink and bathe in.
