There are only two species of cardinals in the United States. However, they can be seen almost everywhere outside of the far western states.
It’s easy to attract cardinals to your yard. Offer them seeds and fruit in an easy-to-access feeder along with clean water. Keep your trees and bushes leafy so they have good spots to nest and roost. And don’t forget to protect cardinals from your windows and from squirrels that steal their food.
Check out these tricks for attracting cardinals and more in our guide below.
11 Tips For Attracting Cardinals To Your Yard
1. Offer Cardinals Their Favorite Foods
A cardinal’s diet is a mix of seeds, nuts, berries, and insects. You can use planters for seeds and leave out fresh fruit like grapes and blackberries to attract northern cardinals.
For the pyrrhuloxia species, stick with mostly nuts and seeds, as they don’t like fruit quite as much.
Black-oil sunflower seeds are very popular with these birds, but they’ll visit bird feeders with most kinds of seed.
2. Use Hopper Or Platform Feeders
There are many types of bird feeders on the market. Some are for specific species, like hummingbirds, while others hold certain foods, like suet.
Cardinals favor platform and hopper feeders. Hopper feeders have a central container for the food with a surrounding ledge around which the birds can hop.
Some look similar to birdhouses, as the roof keeps the food dry. They’re also much harder for squirrels to access.
Platform feeders, on the other hand, are usually flat trays, sometimes with a roof. The roofs are higher up and the center of the tray is open rather than an enclosed container. They’re easier for birds to access, but also for squirrels.
3. Discourage Squirrels
Squirrels are notorious for robbing bird feeders. This can deter cardinals since they’re competing for food.
Part of the appeal of artificial bird feeders is the ease of getting the food. If the cardinals have to fight harder, they may fly to another yard instead.
Hang your bird feeders from a stand, about nine or ten feet away from the central pole. The squirrels will have a hard time climbing up and reaching the feeders. They should also be at least five feet from the ground.
4. Encourage Insects
You may want to get rid of squirrels but keep those bugs around. Cardinals need insects as part of their diet. So, a great way to attract them is to let insects live in your yard.
This doesn’t mean keeping harmful insects or allowing an infestation to run rampant. But you can put away the pesticides. These can actually be harmful to the environment and the cardinals you want to attract.
So, let the cardinals take care of your pest problems naturally instead.
5. Plant Fruit Bushes
Another way to attract more cardinals to your yard is to plant fruiting bushes. Northern cardinals in particular are fond of fruit like blackberries, but pyrrhuloxias will also eat them.
Fruit bushes are a great way to provide cardinals with natural food and increase biodiversity in your area.
6. Plant Dense Evergreen Trees
If you want a tree with the perfect amount of foliage for a northern cardinal, try an evergreen. These trees have multiple benefits for cardinals, which will draw them to your yard.
Evergreen trees keep their leaves all year, of course. Cardinals are also year-round birds, so having a place for them to stay during the winter is great.
Evergreen branches also have thick foliage to protect your cardinals. Finally, many evergreens have cones that cardinals enjoy breaking open for the seeds.
In short, evergreen trees provide cover, food, and year-long shelter for cardinals.
7. Don’t Over-Prune Before Winter
If you have trees besides evergreens that you want to winterize, be careful how much you trim away. While pruning is important for tree health and your safety, cardinals still need a place to stay when it’s cold.
Leave your trees, bushes, and shrubs with as many small branches and leaves as possible. If you provide food and water during the winter as well as shelter, your yard will likely attract more cardinals.
8. Offer Nesting Material
Having a light touch while pruning can provide plenty of space and materials for a cardinal to nest. But you can supplement their supplies with some extras, too.
Leave some of your lawn clippings out instead of bagging them all up to throw away. Let spiderwebs grow in dusty corners and pile up any stray twigs instead of disposing of them.
9. Provide Leafy Coverage
Bushes not only provide food, but they also provide shelter for visiting cardinals. Cardinals prefer to roost and eat in leafy areas with a lot of cover.
Fruit bushes, shrubs, and trees with dense foliage create an inviting space for cardinals to feel safe. It also provides them a place to nest, since they’re not fond of nesting boxes or platforms.
10. Make Your Windows Bird-Friendly
Part of the appeal of attracting cardinals to your yard is that you can watch them from your windows. But windows can pose a threat to cardinals if you’re not prepared.
The reflections of the sky can attract birds to your windows, causing them to fly into them and hurt themselves. A cardinal is less likely to visit your yard again if it hurts itself.
Make sure your feeders aren’t too close to your windows to make them less attractive to the birds. You can also try lessening the reflection by using frosted coverings or pulling the shades shut.
11. Remember To Give Them Water
Like all birds, cardinals need to drink and bathe often.
By providing a nice bird bath in your yard, you’re giving them an area to do both. Shallow pedestals are a good option, especially if you want to attract pyrrhuloxias.
If you want to draw in northern cardinals, consider a heated bird bath for the winter months. This way you can provide water without it freezing over. The water will also be more comfortable for the cardinals.
