The Secret Cardinal Song

The Cardinals are really starting to sing now that the days are getting longer.

Male Cardinal

They start to get territorial once spring really arrives.  But, they're still showing up in large groups at the feeders in the early evening.

A gathering of cardinals in the evening.

This week, I filmed a male Cardinal getting his song back.  If you listen carefully at the end of the loud call, you'll hear a secondary trill. It's very subtle and not loud. It's like a "secret call" that only attentive listeners (and other Cardinals) can hear. You can see his beak moving as he sings the secondary trill.


The Cardinals are wonderful to have in our gardens. They're the first to sing in the morning and often the last to sing at night. And they sing from March through September!

They love black-oiler sunflower seeds and nest in the many of the shrubs we have in the garden. Of course, year-round water is a must and really attracts the birds to the garden!