How to Attract Cardinals to Your Backyard
Cardinals stay put all year in most of the eastern and central US, so once a pair adopts your yard you can enjoy them in every season. They're easy to please if you offer the right seed, a sturdy perch and some cover nearby.
What cardinals eat
Safflower and black-oil sunflower are cardinal favorites. Their thick, cone-shaped beaks crack big seeds easily, so they don't need anything fancy.
Safflower is the best choice if squirrels, grackles or starlings are a problem, because most of them don't like it. Cardinals eat it happily.
Cardinals love safflower. Squirrels, grackles and starlings usually don't, which makes it a smart seed for feeders that get raided.
Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Safflower Seed (opens Amazon)If you only buy one seed, make it black-oil sunflower. It's high in fat, has a thin shell small birds can open, and nearly every seed-eating bird loves it.
Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed (opens Amazon)The feeders cardinals like
Cardinals are fairly big and prefer a steady place to stand. Platform feeders, hopper feeders and tube feeders with a ring-shaped perch all suit them. Short perches on small tube feeders don't.
A squirrel-proof feeder with a cardinal ring keeps seed for the birds and still gives cardinals room to perch.
An open tray feeder that welcomes the widest range of birds, including cardinals, doves, jays and juncos that prefer to feed in the open.
Check price on Amazon for Woodlink Platform Feeder (opens Amazon)The squirrel-proof feeder most experienced backyard birders end up buying. When a squirrel climbs on, its weight pulls a shroud down over the seed ports. Small birds keep eating.
Check price on Amazon for Brome Squirrel Buster Plus (opens Amazon)Give them cover
Cardinals are shy compared with chickadees. They like dense shrubs, hedges or evergreens within about 10 to 15 feet of the feeder, where they can dart if a hawk shows up.
They also nest in thick shrubs and tangles, usually a few feet off the ground. They don't use birdhouses, so plantings matter more than nest boxes.
Add water
A shallow bird bath brings cardinals in to drink and bathe. In winter, a heated bath keeps water open when everything else is frozen, which makes your yard stand out.
Open water in winter brings in birds that never visit seed feeders, like robins and bluebirds. This bath has a built-in thermostat, so it only heats when the water is close to freezing.
Check price on Amazon for API Heated Bird Bath with Stand (opens Amazon)When to look for them
Cardinals are most active at feeders early in the morning and again around dusk, often after other birds have left. Keep the feeder stocked late in the day so it's full when they arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Do cardinals use birdhouses?
No. Cardinals build open cup nests in dense shrubs and vines. Thick plantings attract them more than any nest box.
Why do cardinals come at dawn and dusk?
They tend to feed in low light, when they're less visible to predators. Keep feeders full in the evening.
Is safflower really better than sunflower for cardinals?
Cardinals like both. Safflower is mainly useful because squirrels and blackbirds usually avoid it.
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