Quick Take
- In the Northern cardinal, both parents participate in raising their young, making them a standout example of avian biparenting.
- Females handle nest building, egg incubation, and brooding, while males collect food and actively defend the nest from threats.
- About 80% of bird species practice biparental care, with cardinal parents even raising two to three broods in a single year.
Birds are amazing parents, with many species caring for their babies until they’re ready to live on their own. They also have a unique way of feeding their babies that may sound unpleasant. The parents regurgitate food into their babies’ mouths to provide essential nutrients for their growth. This Instagram post by @audubonsociety shows a video of two cardinals feeding their babies. Read on to learn more about how cardinals feed and raise their young.
Cardinals are often considered romantic birds since they are monogamous and mate for life.
©Bonnie Taylor Barry/Shutterstock.com
Cardinal Feeding
Most bird species are heavy investors in their young. They take care of them until they’re ready to be on their own. This includes creating suitable nests for their young, continuous feeding, and protecting them from predators. Another way they care for their young is through biparental care, which means both the mother and father help raise the chicks. Not all animal species have both parents involved in raising their young, which makes birds particularly remarkable. Roughly 80% of all birds raise their chicks through biparental care. Cardinals are one great example.
As shown in the video, both the mother and father feed their young. However, there are slight differences in roles between the sexes. For example, the male will often collect food and bring it to the nest. He will then feed the female, who, in turn, feeds the chicks. Cardinal parents bring a variety of foods back to the nest for their chicks, including insects, spiders, and seeds. The babies rely on their parents for care and feeding, and fledge about 9 to 11 days after hatching. Although this may seem quick, cardinals can raise two to three broods per year.
Northern cardinals are popular birds and are the state bird of seven U.S. states.
©iStock.com/Hongkun Wang
Parental Responsibilities
Cardinal parents have many other responsibilities besides feeding their young. One of the most important is nest building. This job is taken on by the female. She carefully arranges materials like sticks and twigs to create a safe structure for her young. Females also incubate their eggs for about 11 to 13 days. Males, on the other hand, spend most of their time defending the nest and providing for the female. They keep other birds away from the nest, deter predators, and go out to collect food to feed the female, who is busy incubating. These behaviors continue even after the eggs hatch, with females brooding the chicks while males remain vigilant. Cardinal parenting behavior is similar to that of many other songbird species, but the remarkable cooperation between cardinal parents makes them especially effective caregivers.
