Cardinal Nest with Eggs
by Don Wolf
Title
Cardinal Nest with Eggs
Artist
Don Wolf
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Mating System monogamous
Northern cardinals breed between March and September. They usually raise two broods a year, one beginning around March and the second in late May to July. The second nest is often parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds. Nests are built by the female in dense tangles of vines or twigs in shrubs and small trees. The female lays 1 to 5 (usually 3) white to greenish eggs that average about one inch in length and one-half inch in diameter. Incubation begins when the last egg is laid, and is performed solely by the female. The male brings food to the incubating female. The eggs hatch after 11 to 13 days of incubation. The female broods the chicks for the first 2 days. Both parents feed the chicks a diet of insects. Both parents also remove fecal sacs from the nest. The chicks begin leaving the nest 7 to 13 (usually 9 to 10) days after hatching. The parents continue to feed the chicks for 25 to 56 days after they fledge from the nest. After leaving or being driven out of their parents' territory, young birds often join flocks of other juveniles. They may begin breeding the next spring.
Uploaded
June 28th, 2014
Statistics
Viewed 17,145 Times - Last Visitor from Mountain View, CA on 03/18/2024 at 3:36 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet