July 2023 - 22

Not only are northern cardinals sticking
around Goshen County, they're also breeding.
In June 2020, Dyer observed an adult male
cardinal with a fledgling chick on his property.
The next day he watched the adult male
feeding the fledgling. He snapped photos,
and Dorn said this appears to be the first
documented record of nesting cardinals in
Wyoming. The Dorns and Dyer summarized
the history of cardinal sightings in Wyoming
and described this first evidence of breeding
in the state in a manuscript published by
Western Birds in 2022.
Northern cardinals are monogamous and
a mated pair remains together throughout
the year, unlike many songbirds that split up
after the mating season. They work together
to build their cup-shaped nest in small trees,
bushes or shrubs. Nests are made of twigs
and bark and are lined with grass, moss or
other soft materials. The male will seek out
a fairly high perch near the nest to sing and
aggressively defend his territory.
Females lay two to five eggs, which are incuThe
first reference of a northern cardinal in Wyoming was 110 years ago. (Photo by William Poole/WGFD)
The first reference of a northern cardinal
The first reference of a
northern cardinal in Wyoming
was in 1913, along Bear and
Horse creeks near LaGrange,
also in Goshen County.
in Wyoming was in 1913, along Bear and
Horse creeks near LaGrange, also in Goshen
County. Since then bird watchers have
recorded only a handful of vagrant cardinals in
the state. However, the species is seen regularly
approximately 37 miles southeast of Lingle
in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. " The cardinals in
Goshen County most likely originated from
the Scottsbluff population; they see them
every year on their Christmas Bird Count, "
Dorn said. The Christmas Bird Count is an
international census of birds undertaken by
birdwatchers in the Western Hemisphere each
year. The count is conducted by the National
Audubon Society from Dec. 14-Jan. 5.
After Dyer spotted the cardinals near
Lingle, the birds vanished in the winter and
showed up again in the spring. Since then,
they've been in the area fairly consistently. " At
the same time, we had three males and three
females in the same tree this winter. Now
they're here year-round, " Dyer said.
It's likely the development of new subdivisions
in the area has been beneficial for the
cardinals. " There are more houses now and
plenty of feeders, so it's a good place for them
to stick around, " Dorn said.
22 | May 2023
bated for 11 to 13 days. Both parents forage
for food for the growing chicks. While adults
eat mainly seeds and fruit, nestling chicks feast
on a diet of insects that provide the protein
they need to grow. Chicks fledge in about 12
days and can fly within 20 days, but they may
remain with their parents for several weeks.
A mated pair will often have more than one
brood during a breeding season, much to the
delight of bird lovers.
Having breeding pairs in Wyoming could
mean the cardinals are here to stay.
" We had some friends call recently and
said they had a male cardinal at their feeder
in Fort Laramie and they were very excited, "
Dorn said. " The cardinals know what a feeder
looks like. A lot of people here feed birds and
it doesn't take the chicks long to learn bird
feeder behavior. They're tolerant of people, so
they're easy for most people to see. "
They're also a delight to hear. Female northern
cardinals are one of the few female North
American songbirds that sing. They often sing
while sitting on the nest. Of course, the males
sing too. " Every time I step outside the door
I hear a cardinal, " Dyer said. " I really enjoy
having them around. They kind of gravitated
me to learn more about birds. "
His fondness for cardinals has ensured his
bird feeders are always full.
" We go through a lot of bird seed, they
especially like sunflower seeds; that's their
candy, " he said. " If I'm out in the yard and the

July 2023

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