The northern cardinal doesn't migrate. It's just one of many year-round visitors to bird-feeders in southern Minnesota. The name comes from the Latin word "cardinals," which means "important." The bright red males with black faces are unmistakable, though many consider the females to be equally beautiful — they have the same conical peak, crest and black mask, but they are brown with tinges of red. Both male and female are typically 8 inches long with a 12-inch wingspan. They weigh 1 ½ ounces.

Cardinals are usually the earliest birds at the feeders in the morning and the last to leave at dusk. They never tire of sunflower seeds. They like cracked corn and other seeds, too. They always prefer to feed on the ground or on a tray feeder. More than any other bird, the cardinal has come to symbolize wild bird feeding. Studies show that northern cardinals not only mate for life, but they remain together throughout the seasons. As winter approaches, cardinals will assemble in loose flocks, especially where food is plentiful.

The range of the northern cardinal includes all of the eastern United States, west into the central plains, and extreme southern Canada. It also appears in the southwestern states and Mexico. This is an expanded distribution from a century ago, as our landscape changes have provided more habitat. Cardinals are fairly new to Minnesota, having arrived in the late 1800s. They weren't established as permanent Twin Cities residents until the mid-1930s. During the past few years observers have seen a few cardinals in the Brainerd and Mille Lacs Lake areas, along the North Shore, and other northern Minnesota locations.

Jim Gilbert's Nature Notes are heard on WCCO Radio at 7:15 a.m. Sundays. His observations have been part of the Minnesota Weatherguide Environment Calendars since 1977, and he is the author of five books on nature in Minnesota. He taught and worked as a naturalist for 50 years.