In the 1800`s the northern cardinal were sought after birds, caged and sold for their song and beauty. They were also stuffed and mounted on walls as wildlife decor, cabin decor, lodge decor and to enhance the rustic decor of the dwelling. With the advent of porcelain and other materials it has made it possible to decorate your dwelling with sculptures of wildlife decor, cabin decor and lodge decor for that rustic decor look.
The cardinal is the most recognized bird in the United States. Seven States recognize the Cardinal as their state bird. These beautiful birds are non-migratory and are found from the southeastern U.S. into South America. They range west to Arizona and north into southern Canada. In the 1800`s they were sought after birds, caged and sold for their song and beauty. They were also stuffed and mounted on walls as wildlife decor, cabin decor, lodge decor and to enhance the rustic decor of the dwelling. This practice stopped with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. They feed on seeds from weeds, insects and a variety of berries.
The male is 8.5 to 9 inches in length, brilliant red on its breast and a duller red on its wings and tail. It has a prominent crest on top of its head. Its conical beak is red along with its legs and feet. The face has a black mask surrounding the eyes and extends under the chin. The male was favored over the female for cabin decor, lodge decor, rustic decor and wildlife decor because of its bright colors.
The female is slightly smaller in size. Its crest and body is grey to brown in color with red in its wings and tail. The mask around its eyes is lighter in color. Often shown on walls with the male for cabin decor, lodge decor, wildlife decor and rustic decor.
The nesting material is grasses and takes the shape of a bowl. There is 3 to 4 eggs in a nest, they are light blue with grey/brown dots. The nests are usually constructed in areas of dense thicket three to eight feet off the ground. The nests and eggs were also brought into the home for cabin decor, lodge decor, wildlife decor and rustic decor. All the juveniles look like the female. When they are mature enough to leave the nest they molt and the male juveniles take on the bright red color.
With the advent of porcelain and other materials it has made it possible to decorate your dwelling with sculptures of wildlife decor, cabin decor and lodge decor for that rustic decor look.
What inspired me to do this research was my very first sighting in my New Hampshire backyard. It was the first cardinal I had ever seen in the wild. After being in this world for nearly 60 years and seeing pictures throughout the media, I recognized the crest on the head. We normally see brown sparrows, crows and grey squirrels. I wanted to show my wife but she wasn't to be found without yelling. This first cardinal I saw was the female. The very next day the female came again, this time with the male. It was an awesome sight. Both were sounding off with their cheep, cheep, cheep, song. Being a wildlife buff I dug into my encyclopedia and other media on the internet for this research. Its no wonder bird lovers adorn the walls of their home or workplace with cabin decor, lodge decor and rustic decor.
Sources:
Encyclopedia Americana
Web site, Cornell Lab on Ornithology
Web site, New Hampshire Television
Web site, Wikipedia Foundation, The Free Encyclopedia.
