Northern Cardinal

Status Rare resident. Breeds. Jones (1879) reported that a female, in the company of a male, was shot in Halifax on 31 January 1871 and noted that "nothing in its appearance denoted the probability of its having escaped confinement." The species was not reported again until 31 January 1957, when a female continued to come to the feeder of Louise Daley in Digby until 4 March. On 6 January of the next year, another female appeared in the same place. One or two birds were seen during most subsequent years until an "invasion" occurred in winter 1973-74. Thirty were noted in Yarmouth County, 13 in Shelburne County, 3 in Digby County and 2 in Queens County; in late June 1974 there were still seven reports from Yarmouth County, and individuals were present more widely—a pair nested on the Edgar Hamilton property in Pubnico, Yarmouth County, and remained for several years. In 1976 a pair nested in Yarmouth and remained in the vicinity for three consecutive years. Since then, sightings have diminished, but birds have occurred regularly in the southwestern counties, in the Halifax area, occasionally elsewhere on the mainland and once on Cape Breton Island (two birds on 29 July 1980 at St. Esprit, Richmond County).

Description Length: 19-23 cm. Adult male: An all-red bird with a crest and black face patch around a heavy, red bill. Adult female: Brown with some red on wings and tail; black face; crest and heavy, red bill still distinctive.

Breeding Nest: Located in bushes or small trees, composed of loosely arranged twigs, bark, weeds and grasses, and lined with fine rootlets and hair. Eggs: 2 to 4; white or greenish white, finely marked with various tones of brown usually scattered over the surface.

Range Resident from Nova Scotia, southern Quebec and Ontario, and South Dakota, south to Florida and Guatemala.

Remarks The Northern Cardinal has been expanding its range northeastward for many years, and it is perhaps surprising that it did not establish a beachhead in Nova Scotia earlier than it did. That it is not loathe to cross water in its excursions is shown by the several records from Brier and Seal islands.