Northern Cardinals in New Jersey

Northern Cardinals live in New Jersey all year. Moderate winters; Cape May and the shore hold many half-hardy birds. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward weed and grass seeds; sumac, hackberry and other persistent winter fruit; sunflower and safflower at feeders.

Humid continental to subtropical, from the Highlands in the north to the Pine Barrens and Cape May.

Across New Jersey, cardinals typically nest from April–August. Nest site: open cup built by the female in dense shrubs, vine tangles or saplings, usually 1–15 ft up. Females lay 2–5 eggs, incubate for 11–13 days, and young leave the nest after 7–13 days.

Hot, humid summers; Cape May is a world-class migration funnel.

• Northern Cardinals don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as flowering dogwood, eastern red cedar, serviceberry for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.

Of the regional native plants we track for New Jersey, these 8 provide food or cover cardinals use:

Cardinals feed most actively at dawn and dusk and rarely use small-perch tube feeders. Place feeders within 10–15 ft of dense shrub cover they can retreat to.

• Best foods: Black-oil sunflower, Safflower, Hulled sunflower chips, Cracked corn (sparingly).
• In New Jersey's winter: Moderate winters; Cape May and the shore hold many half-hardy birds.

Full diet breakdown for cardinals · Best feeder for cardinals