New York · Year-round resident

Northern Cardinals in New York

When cardinals are present in New York, when they nest, which native New York plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 3b–7b yard.

Photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons

Status in New York: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–August
Broods: 1–3 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 3b–7b

When to expect cardinals in New York

Northern Cardinals live in New York all year. Long, snowy winters upstate; lake-effect snow belts make feeders and roost boxes important. 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, from cold Adirondack highlands to the maritime-moderated coast of Long Island.

Nesting in New York

Across New York, 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.

Warm summers with a shorter nesting season upstate than downstate.

Northern Cardinals don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as serviceberry, winterberry, arrowwood viburnum for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.

Native New York plants that attract cardinals

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

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis · Tree

Early-summer berries.

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Winter fruit.

Arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum dentatum · Shrub

Blue-black fall fruit and insect cover.

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta · Perennial

Fall seed.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Staghorn sumac

Rhus typhina · Shrub

Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.

Feeding cardinals through the New York year

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 York's winter: Long, snowy winters upstate; lake-effect snow belts make feeders and roost boxes important.

Full diet breakdown for cardinals · Best feeder for cardinals

Frequently asked

Are cardinals in New York year-round?

Yes. Northern Cardinals are year-round residents in New York.

When do cardinals nest in New York?

Nesting in New York typically runs April–August, with 1–3 per season. Clutches are 2–5 eggs, incubated for 11–13 days.

What native plants attract cardinals in New York?

Serviceberry, Winterberry, Arrowwood viburnum, Black-eyed Susan, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Staghorn sumac are native plants in New York that provide food or cover for cardinals.

Other backyard birds in New York

Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay Fox Sparrow

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.