The northern cardinal is probably the most 'romantic' bird species: they mate for life, travel together, sing before nesting, and during courtship, feed seed beak-to-beak
My cousin told me that if you see a cardinal, it’s a lost loved one returning to see how you’re doing. I think of my grandparents now when I see cardinals and it makes me feel better
Mate for life, eh? Hmmmm. Despite the common Disney vibes we prescribe to Northern cardinals, and backyard songbirds in general, the reality of bird life down the garden is actually far more dirty, gritty and very much R-rated.
I mean, fair, Northern cardinals are at least arguably "monogamous" during a single breeding season. Saying that, by "monogamous" what I really mean is that they're, well, about as monogamous as we humans are - they cheat, have side-mistresses, saunter off for secret moonlit soirées with the milkman, n' everything. It's a proverbial gang bang down the woods these days.
In technical terms this behaviour is known as extra-pair copulation. Basically the female will sometimes sneak off to mate with extra males, and perhaps too the male will meet with another female from time to time. It's actually advantageous for both sexes to do so:
By banging females from several other nests, males can ensure some of their eggs will have been fertilised by him, without having to invest in their care growing up - being busy with his own nest n' partner - and so maximising his reproductive success.
It's more risky for females who have to invest more in raising their offspring - don't wanna' catch an STD or anything. But, it's thought they do so to ensure their brood is more genetically diverse, with some individuals more likely to succeed than others when they grow up (she's the winner as she has genes in all of them). They might also mate to acquire additional resources from nearby males, such as nesting material, which will better ensure the survival of all of her chicks.
So, err, yeah. With up to 35% of all eggs within a nest containing genetic material from an outsider (source #1, #2), Northern cardinals are cheatin' birdholes, sorry to say. And that's for only one breeding season; they frequently switch their primary mate year on year, going for an upgrade and all that. But it's all good news as the chicks will all have a better chance of survival for it!
In fact, most birds commonly thought of as mating for life don't really. If you do want a legitimately monogamous bird however, why not swipe right for a puffin? This study found no extra-pair paternity in a puffin colony - given the difficulty finding mates and rearing young, they really do stick together through thick and thin. N'aaaw!
TL;DR: Northern Cardinals are rarely, if ever, truly monogamous in the way we often think it is. Minutes after being beak-fed by her dutiful hubby, she's probably off in the bushes bumping uglies with his rivals - as also will he. Bird life 'aint all roses.
GausMarius-106bc on October 2nd, 2018 at 13:18 UTC »
They also love to fight their reflection in your Patio door it a great sound to wake to in the morning.
Strix924 on October 2nd, 2018 at 14:15 UTC »
My cousin told me that if you see a cardinal, it’s a lost loved one returning to see how you’re doing. I think of my grandparents now when I see cardinals and it makes me feel better
tea_and_biology on October 2nd, 2018 at 15:30 UTC »
Zoologist parachuting in! Weeeeeeeeeeee!
Mate for life, eh? Hmmmm. Despite the common Disney vibes we prescribe to Northern cardinals, and backyard songbirds in general, the reality of bird life down the garden is actually far more dirty, gritty and very much R-rated.
I mean, fair, Northern cardinals are at least arguably "monogamous" during a single breeding season. Saying that, by "monogamous" what I really mean is that they're, well, about as monogamous as we humans are - they cheat, have side-mistresses, saunter off for secret moonlit soirées with the milkman, n' everything. It's a proverbial gang bang down the woods these days.
In technical terms this behaviour is known as extra-pair copulation. Basically the female will sometimes sneak off to mate with extra males, and perhaps too the male will meet with another female from time to time. It's actually advantageous for both sexes to do so:
By banging females from several other nests, males can ensure some of their eggs will have been fertilised by him, without having to invest in their care growing up - being busy with his own nest n' partner - and so maximising his reproductive success.
It's more risky for females who have to invest more in raising their offspring - don't wanna' catch an STD or anything. But, it's thought they do so to ensure their brood is more genetically diverse, with some individuals more likely to succeed than others when they grow up (she's the winner as she has genes in all of them). They might also mate to acquire additional resources from nearby males, such as nesting material, which will better ensure the survival of all of her chicks.
So, err, yeah. With up to 35% of all eggs within a nest containing genetic material from an outsider (source #1, #2), Northern cardinals are cheatin' birdholes, sorry to say. And that's for only one breeding season; they frequently switch their primary mate year on year, going for an upgrade and all that. But it's all good news as the chicks will all have a better chance of survival for it!
In fact, most birds commonly thought of as mating for life don't really. If you do want a legitimately monogamous bird however, why not swipe right for a puffin? This study found no extra-pair paternity in a puffin colony - given the difficulty finding mates and rearing young, they really do stick together through thick and thin. N'aaaw!
TL;DR: Northern Cardinals are rarely, if ever, truly monogamous in the way we often think it is. Minutes after being beak-fed by her dutiful hubby, she's probably off in the bushes bumping uglies with his rivals - as also will he. Bird life 'aint all roses.