Do you know where you can spot the northern cardinal in the US? It's a resident bird in eastern states from Kansas and Missouri to the southern states like Texas.
So, can you attract cardinals at home?
Luckily, you don't have to look for it in parks as it's a frequent backyard visitor. But first, get them the best bird house for cardinals. It doesn't have to be inclusive of a cardinal feeder.
Our top pick is the Natureylwl House. It's affordable, safe, and... Learn more about it below.
Best Cardinal Birdhouse: 5 Top Picks
1. Natureylwl - Best Overall
It's a sturdy design that'll keep the little avian friends out of the rain and other elements. The roof slopes, so it drains well when it rains, reducing the risk of damage to the wooden structure. This material withstands different weather situations making your backyard visitors always feel at home.
Plus, it leaves some money to invest in a bird feeder.
Natureylwl has a small opening that stops larger birds from ransacking the home when the occupants are away. Plus, it's easy to install; screw it on the tree trunk a distance from the ground if a squirrel is lurking in your backyard.
Pros
- Unique design
- Tiny opening to bar predators
- Easy to install
- Affordable
Cons
- Thin paint
Takeaway
If you feel that it needs another coat of paint, go ahead and beautify this tiny home further. When you fix it on a tree trunk, a few feet above the ground and away from the branches above, Natureylwl willl be a quiet, safe home.
2. SZM Wooden Bird House - Best Budget Option
A wooden nest fits in any backyard, whether you're hanging it on a metallic pole or a tree.
The entrance of this house is about 1.57 inches in diameter, and if it's not time for the birds to drop in just yet, there's a stand outside where the feathered visitor can perch. That stand also makes a great hangout for more birds when there's an occupant in the tiny home.
The SZM birding home is also easy to clean as you can open the small door to sweep out waste and birdseed they bring inside.
Hanging it takes a few minutes as you only need to spot a branch on a tree in your backyard, hammer a nail, and mount a new home for the northern cardinal.
Pros
- Easy to clean
- Durable
- Aesthetic value
- Has a perch
- Simple door opening
- Flip-up opening for easy cleaning
Cons
- No drainage when it rains
Takeaway
It takes a few minutes to clean the SZM house and prepare it for the next occupants. The front area opens wide; thus, you can sweep out the sunflower seed left inside.
3. Tenforie Ceramic House - Best Handcrafted Design
Wooden ones are perhaps the most common designs in the market, but guess what? You can get a handcrafted ceramic house too. Its shiny exterior is stylish, appealing, and its color blends into nature.
You have three color options that are red, green, and yellow. You can even get all three colors to beautify your backyard.
The Tenforie Ceramic House is a bit pricey, but it's a nest and a decorative piece for your backyard. Its smooth surface makes it easy to maintain as you can wipe off the dust, and rainwater won't collect.
Plus, it's durable as rainwater doesn't seep inside and increase humidity.
It's easy to hang this little house using the rope provided, even close to a cardinal bird feeder.
Pros
- All-weather use
- Easy to maintain
- Decorates the backyard
- For numerous small bird species
- Handcrafted
- Indoor use as decor
- Outdoor mounting on many spots
Cons
- Rainwater may run down the rope into the house.
Takeaway
The Tenforie Ceramic House has a stylish design, and you can hang it indoors as decor or let cardinals enjoy nesting in it outdoors. It's durable, and its tiny opening keeps bully species out.
4. Spoontiques Birdhouse - Best Unique Design
If you're looking for a unique home or nest for cardinals, how about getting one shaped like this bird? That being so, it blends into the environment.
This red avian house blends into the other structures in your backyard if you have a variety of colors going. There's an opening for the birds to slip in and rest.
You may have to mount a cardinal feeder nearby so that they can see this Spoontiques home when they come to eat. Additionally, you may need another hanger as a squirrel can chew the jute twine provided, and the house will fall.
Pros
- Unique design
- Long-lasting resin material
- Giftable
Cons
- It's small
- Expensive for such a tiny home
Takeaway
The Spoontiques Cardinal Birdhouse is a giftable item for birding enthusiasts who want something functional and decorative. It has a unique design, and there's space inside for cardinals to rest.
5. Alpine Three-Tiered - Best House With Bird Bath
It makes your backyard more exciting for bird species as Alpine Three-Tiered House is a house with a fountain. They can nest, drink water, bathe, and perch. The only activity left out is bird feeding, for which you can hang a cardinal feeder nearby.
The downside of having this house in your yard is that it's too heavy to hang on a tree because it weighs over 10 pounds. Therefore, you'll place it on the ground, and that's not safe for the cardinal since a squirrel and other predators can get in at any time.
Nesting quarters are inside, in the hollow, away from prying predators. It's a durable cardinal bird home as it has materials like polyresin and fiberglass. Thus, it's also water-resistant and can stay outdoors under all weather conditions.
Pros
- Durable materials
- Water-resistant
- Appealing design
- Serves as a bird bath
- Several perching spots
Cons
- Stays on the ground
- The fountain needs electric power
- No cardinal feeder
Takeaway
The Alpine Corporation Three-Tiered House can attract cardinals to your backyard because it has a hollow nest and a fountain that'll become a bathing spot for most birds.
After selecting the best bird house for cardinals, here are some more important facts:
Ways To Attract Cardinals
All you need to do is follow the simple, yet effective formula for attracting these red birds to your backyard.
Mount A Cardinal Bird Feeder
In addition to giving them a home, feed them. The northern cardinal prefers spacious suet feeders with a perch. It should be easy to reach bird feed without too many movements. Therefore, get a platform feeder.
You could also mount a variety instead of one design, such that you have a hopper feeder and a tray feeder to see what they like most.
Hanging feeders also beautify the yard because they come in so many designs and sizes. You can use one made of plastic, wood, metal, or any other material as these birds don't mind.
The feeder's design also dictates the food you can add. For instance, birds need space to perch, such as on a tube feeder, when eating safflower seed. Also, squirrel-proof it so that cardinals don't have to compete for black oil sunflower with predators.
Cardinals will also come looking for water; consequently, when you leave some in your backyard, they'll stay longer. The container should be a maximum of three inches deep to prevent drowning.
Choose Bird Feed They Love
The northern cardinal has a sturdy bill to hull seeds. Thus, it eats some grains, seeds, and fruits that other small species can't. For example, you can attract cardinals to your backyard using regular rations of black oil sunflower seed and safflower seed.
The cardinal bird feeder should be at least five feet from the ground or near vegetation to ensure the birds are safe. You'll also spot them picking seeds below suet cages.
If you have a platform feeder, serve cracked corn or peanuts.
Safflower is also a good choice as squirrels and blackbirds don't like these seeds, meaning there's less competition. Striped sunflower seed also has a hard shell that the smaller birds can't crush. You'll have a messy cleanup if you mix seeds since birds will pick what they like.
Want to know more about what the Cardinals eat every season?
Watch this video:
Get A Bird House For Nesting
A window bird feeder may also have nesting space beside the bird food. It's safer for small birds as it has a tiny opening, and it also lets you watch the avian activity from your seat. Plus, there's less wastage as bird seed doesn't fall on the ground. The glass also makes them feel safe because they can see a predator approaching.
Cardinals aren't as small as the house sparrow, so the best bird house for them should have more space. Therefore, get a nest that can hold between two and five eggs. Incubation takes up to 13 days, and the nestlings live there for about 13 days.
You can keep the nest box near a tube feeder so that they may consider staying longer after feeding. Alternatively, since they like building the nest from scratch, you can leave nesting material around, such as grass, twigs, tree barks, and weeds. The female will break them to size with her bill, and in about nine days, she'll have a nest ready.
This wild bird prefers to nest in dense forests as it's safer and can see visitors approaching. Thus, your yard should have such vegetation. It'll also attract cavity-nesting birds like the tree swallow.
Let's look at a few topics we might have skipped above and do so with brief answers to your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Kind Of Plants Attract Cardinals?
They'll come to your backyard if it has spruce, mulberry, and dogwood trees. They also love shrubs; thus, you can spot them in gray dogwood and sumac.
Are Robins And Cardinals The Same?
It's smaller than an American robin by a few inches. A cardinal's length is between 8 and 9 inches, and its wingspan can reach 12 inches. It weighs about 1.5 to 1.7 ounces.
On the other hand, an American robin can grow to 11 inches long, weigh up to 3 ounces, with a wingspan of 15.8 inches. It's also prevalent throughout North America, with a resident population in central America and a breeding population in the northern region.
The cardinal has a resident population in the eastern and southern states only.
Do Blue Jays Scare Away Cardinals?
Yes, a blue jay will scare away a cardinal. It'll even do more than scare it away as this species also steals food and sometimes eats nestlings. Blue jays can bully other birds since they always fly in flocks and are territorial.
So, what points should you carry from this discussion?
The Verdict
Natureylwl is a cardinal bird house made of wood, a material that's easy to sweep. When it rains, the water trickles down the sloped roof.
The opening lets only small birds inside. It's an affordable home, but if you don't like the white paint on it, the SZM cardinal house has a similar design, the same price, but it's unpainted.
If these two options don't fit the features you're looking for, other diverse suggestions above ought to work.
