10 Tips to Attract Cardinals to Your Bird Feeders This Winter

Winters can be a very depressing time, lonely and barren, but if you attract cardinal birds to your garden and feeders, then your days will come alive with color, company and lovely chirping songs! What’s more, you will be helping these red songbirds survive the cold months, and gardening is also looking after nature.

But how can you make sure that cardinals (or Cardinalis cardinalis) come to your feeders and warm up your garden during the winter months? I have 10 tips to turn your garden into a winter restaurant for them!

1: Choose the Right Type of Feeder for Cardinal Birds

You can’t invite people to dinner and give them an uncomfortable seat and cutlery or plates they can’t use. The same applies to cardinal songbirds. They are medium sized birds, 8 to 9 inches (20 to 23 cm) from beak to tail, and up to 1 foot in wingspan (30 cm), so, you can’t expect them to like the same feeders that sparrows or robins use. It’s like asking an adult to sit on a high chair and enjoy a meal!

So, which types of feeders are good for cardinal birds?

• Platform feeders; because cardinals are big, they provide enough space for them to perch on comfortably. You can mount these on a pole, or hang them from a strong branch.
• Hopper feeders; these keep the seeds dry, because they are covered, and the food is served to visiting cardinals through a hole at the bottom. But make sure you choose a big one, because of the size of our birds. So, the feeding tray or perching area should be at least 10 to 12 inches wide(25 to 30 cm) and 6 to 8 inches deep (15 to 20 cm). What’s more, these songbirds need to move under them freely, so the roof should be 8 to 10 inches above the tray (20 to 25 cm).

Whichever feeder you choose, it must be stable and sturdy because cardinals don’t like to perch on wobbly platforms.

“Can I use tube feeders?” you may wonder… Most of them are far too small for cardinals, but if you find (or build) one with a large perch (10 to 12 inches, or 25 to 30 cm), then go ahead!

So, now we talked about the “dinner table layout” for joyful cardinal birds, let’s move to the menu…

2: Give cardinal Birds Their Favorite Seeds

How many times have you passed by a really attractive restaurant, but when you looked at the menu you just moved on? So will cardinals do, unless you offer them the seeds they prefer. So, let’s tickle their appetite

• Cracked corn, because cardinals like small pieces.
• Peanut pieces, which our red songbirds find really nutritious, and they are right – they are packed with proteins.
• White millet, which is small, and easy to eat for cardinal birds.
• Safflower seeds, cardinal birds really enjoy their soft and sweet flavor.
• Black oil (best) or striped sunflower seeds, they have soft peels, so cardinal birds can crack them open easily, and while striped ones are bigger, they can still manage them.

There are others, of course, but remember some key rules; they need to be fairly small, broken or easy to open. Cardinals won’t manage a whole hazelnut or a chestnut.

You can use any of these mixed in with a generic seed mix to attract cardinal birds to your garden and feeders, if you wish; they will still appreciate it very much and eat some of the other seeds as well.

3: Position the Feeders in a Safe and Strategic Position

What’s the point in having great food and a great table service if no one sees your restaurant? And cardinals won’t even read your leaflets or reviews online! Positioning the feeders in a strategic (and safe position) in your garden is key to the success of your operation!

Here is what you need to do:

• Place the feeders in a fairly open position; this won’t simply make them visible to passing cardinals, it will also give them a chance to spot predators at a distance. So, no corners, not near walls and hedges etc. The center of a lawn or flower bed is ideal…
• Place the feeders at least 5 to 6 feet above ground (1.5 to 1.8 meters); this will make them feel safe, because many predators come from below!
• Place your feeders in a quiet place, because cardinal birds don’t like the noise, as it makes it hard for them to spot predators. So, if you put it next to a busy road in your front garden, they will give it a pass…
• It’s even better if the feeder is in a place that’s sheltered from rain and heavy winds. So, don’t put it in the windiest place of your garden, and a little roof can go a long way!

On the other hand, if cardinal birds want to have a clear view of where predators may come from, they also want to have a place to shelter nearby. So, dense shrubs and trees within reach are also ideal to attract them.

So, how distant should the feeder be from shrubs? At least 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.5 meters); this way, cardinals will have plenty of space to spot predators but they will also know where to fly fast when they see one.

4: Protect Your Feeders (and Cardinals) from Predators

No one likes to eat in a dangerous place, and, as you have seen, cardinals are very conscious that they can quickly turn from the dinner guests to the dinner itself. We have already seen some basic safety measures for these charming songbirds in positioning the feeders, but there are a few more things you can do…

• Predator deterrents are a must,like spikes, cones, nets and fences at the base of the feeder’s pole.
• Avoid seed spillage; cats and other predators often get attracted by the seeds and nuts that drop onto the ground, so, use a spillage tray to reduce them.
• Baffles are a very good idea! They are dome-shaped or cylindrical barriers that prevent predators and squirrels from climbing feeder poles.
• Monitor your pets outdoors.

So, now you can make sure that cardinals can come to your garden, leave safely and come back, how about the wine list?

5: Provide Water for Cardinal Birds

You can’t dine without a good drink, and cardinals are no exception: they need water as well, and snow won’t do, nor will ice. So…

• Provide a source of water for cardinal birds. It is better if it’s in a safe place, like your feeder.
• If you have a water feature, break or melt the ice.

This is very simple, and it will also help other wildlife. Now, on to a funny one…

6: Cover up Reflective Surfaces

Cardinals are choosy when it comes to food, but they don’t like to dine together with other birds of their species. The problem is that they are quite bad with mirrors too: they just can’t recognize themselves in them. And what happens? They attack their own reflected image!

Cardinals are very territorial birds.

For this reason, if you have reflective surfaces (metal, mirrors etc.), you should cover them up during the winter season – cardinals will feel threatened or challenged if they see their “alter ego” in your garden.

7: Help and Shelter Insects in Your Garden during Winter – Cardinals Love “Meat” too!

Time for the main course! Yes, cardinals are omnivorous birds, and they also like to eat “some meat”, like little insects and grubs, and your garden restaurants should have them in its menu as well.

Many insects hibernate during winter, but not all of them; spiders, bees, ants and other little creatures stay awake, and they can add some protein to your visiting cardinal’s diet. But how can you serve them on a plate to these crested songbirds in your garden?

• Provide some shelter for insects; make a pile of old logs (best if decaying), or of leaves, in a sheltered corner of your garden. A stack of reeds will work perfectly fine as well. Keep it away from windy places and in a warm spot.
• If you have a pond, don’t let it freeze, and keep cold hardy perennials in them. Many aquatic insects, like dragonflies, don’t hibernate, and mosquitoes (which gravitate around it) don’t either.
• Grow winter flowering plants, like winter heather (Erica carnea), mahonia (Mahonia spp.), winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) and hellebore (Helleborus spp.).
• Leave some decaying organic matter in your garden; your compost heap fills with small creatures, for example, but if you don’t have one, leave some leaves, even kitchen waste in a pile in a corner. Insects will feed on them, and cardinals will feed on grubs…
• Avoid night lighting. I know, it’s the Christmas season, but night lights can disturb nocturnal insects’ behavior, so, use them sparingly if you can.
• Finally, don’t use pesticides, of course, which would also affect cardinals, and you don’t want to leave your leafy restaurant with food poisoning!

8: Grow Native Plants and Cardinal-Friendly Plant Varieties

Now it’s time to think about the “décor” of your winter restaurant for cardinal birds… Well, it’s actually a more important matter, because we are talking about the choice of plants (especially trees) that you grow in your garden…

First of all, grow some native varieties of perennials, shrubs and trees. These are not only more familiar to cardinal birds (and you noticed that they are quite suspicious birds), they also attract more wildlife in general, including grubs and little animals (they eat snails and slugs too).

Next, choose cardinal-friendly varieties; these are trees and shrubs that our red birds find comfortable for many reasons – let’s see a few…

• Pine and fir trees (Pinus spp. and Abies spp.); cardinal birds like to perch on their branches, and being evergreens, they offer shelter – they can hide their crimson livery under the dense green needles from predators.
• Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana); cardinals love the strong branches of oak trees, but most are deciduous, so they don’t provide shelter in winter – this species, however, is evergreen! Ok, it’s not for a small garden though.
• Arborvitae (Thuja spp.), which cardinals like for its dense foliage.

Basically, a garden with only deciduous trees doesn’t feel safe for cardinals. Even boxwood (Buxus spp.) and similar evergreen hedges or shrubs will offer a sense of protection to these songbirds…

Moving on…

9: Complete Visiting Cardinal’s Diet with Fruit!

It’s time for dessert! But cardinals don’t eat cake or cheese, they like to close their meals with fruit. You can place a few scraps on the feeder if you wish, but the best option you have is to grow plants that fruit and produce berries in winter, like:

• Beautyberry (Callicarpa spp.)
• Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
• Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
• Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster spp.)
• Elderberry (Sambucus spp.)
• Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)
• Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)
• Holly (Ilex spp.)
• Juniper (Juniperus spp.)
• Mountain Ash (Sorbus spp.)
• Mountain ash (Sorbus spp.)
• Pyracantha (Firethorn)
• Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
• Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
• Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)

Some of these are also evergreen varieties, so they will offer some protection as well. And finally, do you have a rose shrub? Leave the hips on during winter! Cardinals love them and they are a great source of vitamin C!

10: Be a Good Host for Your Cardinals

Cardinal birds are colorful and with a great musical talent, but by now you know that they are very suspicious (maybe they know that their red feathers can be spotted from far away by predators?) So, if you really want these songbirds to visit your garden during winter, you must not scare them off!

Keep indoors when they come, or, if you are in the garden already, don’t approach them, be quiet and even still if you can. The crested songbird may fly away when it sees you, but if you don’t scare it, it will come back…

Of course, no loud music is allowed, especially heavy metal!

Now You Can Start Your Winter Restaurant for Cardinals

Now you are ready to turn your garden into a winter restaurant for cardinal birds. Of course, you can’t do absolutely everything, but offer good meals, a safe environment and good service and one of these scarlet colored winged singers will try out your menu soon!