The northern cardinal has a bright, whistled song that carries well across a backyard. Here is how to recognise its songs and calls by ear.
The cardinal song
A cardinal song is a series of clear, loud whistles that often speed up or slow down toward the end. People describe the phrases with words such as cheer-cheer-cheer, birdy-birdy-birdy or purty-purty-purty. The notes are pure and flute-like, and a single bird may repeat several different phrases in a row. Both males and females sing, which is unusual among songbirds, and pairs sometimes answer each other. For more on these birds, see our cardinal diet guide or the songbirds hub.
The chip call
Aside from the musical song, cardinals make a short, sharp call often written as a metallic chip or tick. They use this call to stay in contact, warn of danger or scold an intruder near the nest. You may hear a steady run of these chips when a cat or hawk is nearby. This call is one of the easiest cardinal sounds to notice, since the birds use it throughout the year rather than only in the breeding season. Compare bird behaviour on the songbirds hub.
When cardinals sing
Cardinals sing most in early spring as males set up territories and attract mates, and you may hear them well before sunrise. Song continues through the breeding season and can pick up again in autumn. Because cardinals do not migrate, you can hear their whistles and chips all year in much of eastern North America. Learning the song by ear makes them easy to find even when hidden in dense cover. See what fuels all that singing in our cardinal diet guide.