The population of cardinals, this bird with scarlet plumage, has exploded in Quebec over the past 25 years thanks to the numerous feeders that people hang in their yards.
It was after following 41 cardinals flying from tree to tree in different environments for eight months that a biologist from McGill University made this observation in research that she is currently conducting.
“I expected that cardinals would settle in large green spaces in urban areas, but I noticed that their territory could be limited to a very small area, often a simple courtyard or even a balcony where there is a feeder,” explains Anne-Marie Cousineau, a master’s student in the Kyle Elliott northern ornithology laboratory.
Researcher Anne-Marie Cousineau with the very first research subject, a female northern cardinal. Photo Barbara Frei.
Photo provided by Anne-Marie Cousineau
Climate change, pollution and urban sprawl seem to have had a positive effect on this species, which is only found on the American continent.
A species almost invisible in our latitudes around fifty years ago, the red cardinal has remarkably adapted to southern Quebec, where it has experienced the greatest demographic growth on the continent.
According to the Atlas of Breeding Birds of Quebec, its population has increased by 700% in 25 years.
Reverse trend
In North America, a quarter of birds have disappeared since the 1970s, but the cardinal is experiencing an opposite trend. However, little research is carried out on the reasons for this phenomenon, particularly outside of nesting periods, recalls M.me Cousineau.
Male red cardinal with his small backpack and a transmitting antenna. The device falls off on its own after a few months. Photo Barbara Frei
Photo provided by Anne-Marie Cousineau
It was with the help of a radiofrequency sensor that the researcher was able to carry out her first year of study. The 41 cardinals, male and female, were captured in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, where the ornithological observatory associated with the university is located. The student attached a radio antenna to the animals’ backs, which allowed her to track the birds remotely.
Three groups were released in two suburbs and in downtown Montreal and then followed in order to document their movements and their diet.
Photo provided by Anne-Marie Cousineau
Even if the results are not yet final, the researcher noticed that the group released into a highly urbanized environment did not take long to find something to eat. Feeders filled with sunflower seeds were quickly spotted. “Maintaining a feeder becomes a survival factor for this species which adapts well to a small ecosystem,” she continues.
Single search
The second year of data collection will begin next fall, making this research the first on the red cardinal covering such a long period in Quebec.
The method developed to retrace the birds’ journey was innovative and could lead to a scientific publication. “People were surprised to see me walking around town with a satellite dish capable of picking up radio frequencies. It allowed me to do civic education,” comments the researcher.
THE RED CARDINAL IN BRIEF
Present in the east of the American continent from Bas-Saint-Laurent to Mexico.
The red cardinal (Cardinal Cardinal) has a bright red coat, its black face and its crest which recalls the galley of the man of the Church. Less sparkling, the orange female is still more colorful than most birds here.
With its powerful beak, this granivore easily opens black sunflower seeds, its favorite meal in an urban environment.
Access to food gives him the opportunity to stay with us in the winter, which he does not deprive himself of.
The couple gives birth to a clutch of three or four eggs at the end of April and the birds are independent after 65 days. Pairs can have a second and even a third brood if conditions are right.
