Cardinal Spring Love is a photograph by Nava Thompson which was uploaded on May 1st, 2014.
Cardinal Spring Love
This decorative and rare photo taken by Nava Thompson in Bentonville, Arkansas shows two cardinals in a flowering pear tree in the spring. During... more
Title
Cardinal Spring Love
Artist
Nava Thompson
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This decorative and rare photo taken by Nava Thompson in Bentonville, Arkansas shows two cardinals in a flowering pear tree in the spring. During courtship these lovely birds participate in a bonding behavior in which the male collects food and brings it to the female, feeding her beak-to-beak, as shown. If the mating is successful, this mate-feeding may continue throughout the period of incubation. Pairs mate for life, and stay together year-round. Mated pairs sometimes sing together before nesting. Males sometimes bring nest material to the female cardinal, who does most nest-building. She crushes twigs with her beak until they are pliable, then turns in the nest to bend the twigs around her body and push them into a cup shape with her feet. The nest is made of thin twigs, bark strips, and grasses, lined with grasses or other plant fibers. The cup has four layers: coarse twigs (sometimes even bits of trash) covered in a leafy mat, then a lining of grapevine bark and finally grasses, stems, rootlets, and pine needles. The nest typically takes 3 to 9 days to build; the finished product is 5.1�7.6 cm (2.0�3.0 in) tall, 10.1 cm (4.0 in) across, with an inner diameter of about 7.6 cm (3.0 in). Cardinals do not usually use their nests more than once. The female builds a cup nest in a well-concealed spot in dense shrub or a low tree 1�3 m (3.3�9.8 ft) off the ground. Eggs are laid one to six days following the completion of the nest. The eggs are white, with a tint of green, blue or brown, and are marked with lavender, gray, or brown blotches which are thicker around the larger end. The shell is smooth and slightly glossy. Three or four eggs are laid in each clutch. Eggs measure approximately 26 mm �19 mm (1.02 in �0.75 in) in size. The female generally incubates the eggs, though, rarely, the male will incubate for brief periods of time. Incubation takes 12 to 13 days. Young fledge 10 to 11 days after hatching. Two to four broods are raised each year. The male cares for and feeds each brood as the female incubates the next clutch of eggs. Northern Cardinals are preyed upon by a wide variety of predators native to North America, including falcons, accipiter hawks, shrikes, and owls, including long-eared owls, and eastern screech owls. Predators of chicks and eggs include: milk snakes, coluber constrictors, blue jays, eastern gray squirrels, fox squirrels, eastern chipmunks, and domestic cats with claws let outside.. The diet of the Northern Cardinal consists mainly of weed seeds, grains, and fruits. This lovely red bird is a ground feeder and finds food while hopping on the ground through trees or shrubbery. It eats beetles, cicadas, grasshoppers, snails, wild fruit and berries, corn (maize) and oats, sunflower seeds, blossoms and bark of elm trees. It also drinks maple sap from holes made by sapsuckers, an example of commensalism. During the summer months, it prefers seeds that are easily husked, but is less selective during winter, when food is scarce. Northern Cardinals also consume insects and feed their young almost exclusively on insects. The oldest wild cardinal banded by researchers lived at least 15 years and 9 months, although 28.5 years was achieved by a captive bird. Annual survival rates for adult Northern Cardinals have been estimated at 60 to 65%, however, as with other passerine birds, the high mortality of juveniles means that the average lifespan is only about a year.
Uploaded
May 1st, 2014
Statistics
Viewed 1,523 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/26/2024 at 5:35 AM
Colors
Embed
Share
More from Nava Thompson
Comments (111)
Randy Rosenberger
A big congratulations to you for being chosen as our 'SHOWCASED ARTIST' of the week for the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group. Your art works are very indicative of a professional, and it is a true honor to "showcase" your art pieces for this week in this new venue we are providing for our members. Thanks for your awesome submissions, and it is an honor to have you as a member of our family of friends and fine artists within the WFS group. Special thanks and congratulations from your administrator, Randy "Elvis" Rosenberger
Anita Faye
Nava, perfect springtime capture! Featured on Poetic Poultry Group! https://fineartamerica.com/groups/poetic-poultry-.html
William Tasker
Outstanding and marvelous, Nava! And the information given was great too. Gorgeous shot! Your beautiful and identified bird image has been featured by Wild Birds Of The World, a nature photography group. L/F
Nava Thompson replied:
William--thank you for the feature in Wild Birds Of The World group---and for the l/f!
Don Columbus
Congratulations Nava, your work is Featured in "A Birding Group - Wings" I invite you to place it in the group's "2017 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L/Tweet
Nava Thompson replied:
Don----thank you for the feature in 'A Birding Group-Wings' and for the l/tweet!