Northern cardinals are one of the few birds with male and female singers. Learn what a cardinal song sounds like and how cardinals communicate.
What Does a Cardinal Song Sound Like?
Updated on Jan. 22, 2024
Both Male and Female Cardinals Sing
Did you know? Both male and female cardinals sing! Northern cardinals are one of the few species whose female also sings. A pair might even share cardinal song phrases, using them to communicate at nesting time.
Experts believe the cardinal song duet strengthens their bond. Listen for pure, repetitive whistling from cardinal pairs. Females sometimes call while on the nest. Males bring food to the females as they care for baby cardinals to ensure nesting success.
Do northern cardinals mate for life?
Birds & Blooms readers enjoy hearing and seeing cardinals in the backyard.
“My father passed away recently, and his favorite bird was the northern cardinal. Now this handsome cardinal (above) visits me often, singing his lovely song, and I believe it is a hello from my father,” writes reader Marilyn Diaz.
Find out if cardinal sightings have special meaning.
Hear Cardinal Songs
Listen to the cardinal’s song in the audio clip below.
Bird songs courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Learn about the differences in male and female cardinal songs by watching this video from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Next, check out the best bird feeders and birdseed for cardinals.
Sources
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
