Northern Cardinals in New Mexico

Northern Cardinals live in New Mexico all year — mainly the south and east. Cold nights and sunny days; many desert and mountain birds move to lower elevations. 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.

Arid to semi-arid, with Chihuahuan desert in the south and mountain forest above 7,000 ft.

Across New Mexico, 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, dry early summer followed by the July–August monsoon.

• Northern Cardinals don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as smooth sumac, black cherry, american elderberry for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.

Of the regional native plants we track for New Mexico, 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 Mexico's winter: Cold nights and sunny days; many desert and mountain birds move to lower elevations.

Full diet breakdown for cardinals · Best feeder for cardinals