Oklahoma · Year-round resident

Northern Cardinals in Oklahoma

When cardinals are present in Oklahoma, when they nest, which native Oklahoma plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 6a–8a yard.

Photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons

Status in Oklahoma: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–August
Broods: 1–3 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 6a–8a

When to expect cardinals in Oklahoma

Northern Cardinals live in Oklahoma all year. Mild winters with occasional severe ice storms. 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 in the forested east, semi-arid in the western plains and Panhandle.

Nesting in Oklahoma

Across Oklahoma, 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 summers with strong winds; water is especially valuable in the west.

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.

Native Oklahoma plants that attract cardinals

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

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.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Spicebush

Lindera benzoin · Shrub

Lipid-rich red fruit fuels fall migrants.

Virginia creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia · Vine

Blue fruit on red stems in early fall.

Feeding cardinals through the Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma's winter: Mild winters with occasional severe ice storms.

Full diet breakdown for cardinals · Best feeder for cardinals

Frequently asked

Are cardinals in Oklahoma year-round?

Yes. Northern Cardinals are year-round residents in Oklahoma.

When do cardinals nest in Oklahoma?

Nesting in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma?

Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Smooth sumac, Black cherry, American elderberry, Spicebush, Virginia creeper are native plants in Oklahoma that provide food or cover for cardinals.

Other backyard birds in Oklahoma

Eastern Bluebird Carolina 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-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Painted 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 Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay Bushtit Juniper Titmouse Black-crested Titmouse Black-chinned Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch Spotted Towhee Canyon Towhee Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe Ladder-backed Woodpecker Curve-billed Thrasher Bewick's Wren White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Bullock's Oriole Eurasian Collared-Dove

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.