Baby cardinals: from egg to fledgling
A Northern Cardinal lays 2–5 eggs. They hatch after 11–13 days, and the young leave the nest 7–13 days later — about 18–26 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 2–5 eggs
- Incubation
- 11–13 days
- Time in the nest
- 7–13 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 18–26 days
- Broods per year
- 1–3 per season
- Nest
- Open cup built by the female in dense shrubs, vine tangles or saplings, usually 1–15 ft up
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (11–13 days): 2–5 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (7–13 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season cardinals mainly eat beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers and cicadas, wild grape, dogwood and blackberry fruit.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young cardinals are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1–3 per season. Pairs often start a new nest soon after the first young become independent.
When cardinals nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Mar) and latest in Maine (May). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Mar–Aug |
| Arizona | Mar–Aug |
| Arkansas | Apr–Aug |
| Connecticut | Apr–Aug |
| Delaware | Apr–Aug |
| Florida | Mar–Sep |
| Georgia | Mar–Sep |
| Hawaii | Mar–Aug |
| Illinois | Apr–Aug |
| Indiana | Apr–Aug |
| Iowa | Apr–Aug |
| Kansas | Apr–Aug |
| Kentucky | Apr–Aug |
| Louisiana | Mar–Aug |
| Maine | May–Aug |
| Maryland | Apr–Aug |
| Massachusetts | Apr–Aug |
| Michigan | Apr–Aug |
| Minnesota | May–Aug |
| Mississippi | Mar–Aug |
| Missouri | Apr–Aug |
| Nebraska | Apr–Aug |
| New Brunswick | May–Aug |
| New Hampshire | May–Aug |
| New Jersey | Apr–Aug |
| New Mexico | Apr–Aug |
| New York | Apr–Aug |
| North Carolina | Apr–Aug |
| North Dakota | May–Aug |
| Nova Scotia | May–Aug |
| Ohio | Apr–Aug |
| Oklahoma | Apr–Aug |
| Ontario | May–Aug |
| Pennsylvania | Apr–Aug |
| Quebec | May–Aug |
| Rhode Island | Apr–Aug |
| South Carolina | Mar–Aug |
| South Dakota | Apr–Aug |
| Tennessee | Apr–Aug |
| Texas | Mar–Sep |
| Vermont | May–Aug |
| Virginia | Apr–Aug |
| West Virginia | Apr–Aug |
| Wisconsin | May–Aug |
Found a baby Northern Cardinal?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about cardinals
Frequently asked
How long do baby cardinals stay in the nest?
About 7–13 days after hatching. Eggs take 11–13 days to hatch, so it is roughly 18–26 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Northern Cardinal lay?
2–5 eggs per clutch, with 1–3 per season.
Where do cardinals nest?
Open cup built by the female in dense shrubs, vine tangles or saplings, usually 1–15 ft up.
What should I do if I find a baby Northern Cardinal on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.