Although at one time a rare sight, today you can spot a cardinal in any one of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties. Here’s what you need to know about the Ohio state bird.
What does the Ohio state bird look like?
The Ohio state bird, or the cardinal, is a very distinguishable bird. With its large, conical bill, long tail and crest, the cardinal is one of the easier birds to identify. The average cardinal is just less than eight inches in length. Depending on whether you’re looking at a male or a female cardinal its coloring will vary. Like many bird species, the cardinal male has a more vibrant, bright appearance than its female counterpart. The adult male is bright red in color with a small mask-like black face surrounding his red beak. The female, however, has only reddish feathers on her crest, wings and tail. The female cardinal is a brownish gray but she has the same red colored beak as male cardinals. You’ll know if you’ve spotted a juvenile cardinal because it will look much like its mom with brownish gray feathers but it will have a dark bill and crest.
What kind of bird feeder do I need to attract cardinals?
Because of their beautiful red coloring and interesting crest, cardinals are the perfect bird to watch in your backyard. But first you need to attract them by setting up the right kind of bird feeder. The Ohio state bird isn’t too hard to attract, but you need to keep in mind the type of bird feeder and the type of bird seed you’re using. Cardinals usually nest in shrubs or bushes so if you place a bird feeder in the midst of a lush evergreen, you’ll probably get some red visitors shortly. But be careful, because cardinals like feeders that are stationary, so stay away from hanging bird feeders that swing back and forth. The safest bet is probably to go with the type of bird feeder you stick into the ground, but be sure to make it at least six feet high because cardinals like to be high above the ground.
It isn’t too difficult to find the right seeds for cardinals because they’re pretty easy to please. Cardinals love sunflower seeds, in fact they’re known to sift through seed mixture and just pick out the sunflower seeds and leave the other seeds behind. If you want to watch cardinals eat, look out for them early in the morning and late in the evening which is when cardinals usually dine. Because cardinals don’t migrate, if you have the right kind of feeder you may just have the Ohio state bird as a neighbor for life.
