Bird guide · Paroaria coronata
Red-crested Cardinal
What the red-crested cardinal eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Eats
- seeds, fruit
- Feeds
- ground, tray/platform
- Most common
- Hawaii
Food
What do red-crested cardinals eat?
At feeders, red-crested cardinals take seeds, fruit.
Feeds mostly on the ground, in pairs or small groups.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do red-crested cardinals live?
Native to South America; introduced to Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Chile. By share of all bird sightings, red-crested cardinals are most common in Hawaii (3.1%).
Season
Does the red-crested cardinal migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are red-crested cardinals, by month.
Identification
How to identify the red-crested cardinal
Adults: Red head, bib and short crest, white underparts and a grey back, wings and tail.
Young birds: Like adults but with a dull brownish-orange head and bib.
On camera
Getting the red-crested cardinal on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Red-crested Cardinal: questions
What do red-crested cardinals eat?
At feeders, seeds, fruit.
Do red-crested cardinals migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do red-crested cardinals live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Hawaii. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado.
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