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The sight of a bright red male Northern cardinal landing in your yard never gets old—it’s easy to see why many people see this bird as a sign of luck, love, or even a message from beyond. And while the female’s plumage may be more muted, her bright orange-red highlights on her crest and wings exude a more subtle charm.
Want these birds to visit more often? It’s easier than you might think. These backyard favorites aren’t especially picky, but they do have clear go-to foods—and adding these options to your bird buffet is the best way to attract cardinals to your yard.
Fill Your Feeder With These Cardinal Favorites
Northern cardinals will snack on a variety of bird foods, but they have a clear preference for black-oil sunflower seeds and safflower seeds. Peanuts—whether shelled or unshelled—are another favorite. “They’ll also eat millet and milo,” says Holly Grant of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch project.
The feeder itself matters less than you might expect. Cardinals are comfortable eating from large tube feeders, hopper feeders, and platform feeders, and they’ll even forage for food scattered on the ground.
Offer Food Where Cardinals Feel Safe
Where you serve the foods they love can make a difference, too. Cardinals like to feed in areas where there is nearby cover, like shrubs or low tree branches. This allows them a place to quickly retreat to if needed. Sprinkling seeds on the ground near bushes or placing feeders close to protective cover can make your yard feel more inviting—and keep cardinals coming back.
For even more easy ways to bring cardinals to your yard, check out 5 Surefire Ways to Attract More Cardinals to Your Bird Feeder.
Holly Grant is a Project Assistant at the Cornell Bird Lab on the NestWatch project, and has expertise in nesting birds, feeder birds, and bird feeding strategies among other things. She holds a B.S. in Conservation Biology. You can find out more about Holly on her staff bio page.
