Ohio is home to a diverse range of bird species, from songbirds to birds of prey. Based on the description provided of a grey bird with a long beak, the likely bird in question is the Northern Cardinal. The Northern Cardinal is a common backyard bird in Ohio that has distinctive grey plumage and a long, cone-shaped red beak. Let’s take a closer look at the identifying features, habitat, diet, behavior, conservation status, and interesting facts about the Northern Cardinal in Ohio.
Identifying Features of the Northern Cardinal
The Northern Cardinal is approximately 8-9 inches in length with a wingspan of 9.5-12 inches. Adult males are known for their bright red plumage, black face mask, and red crest. However, females are more greyish-brown in color with red highlights in the wings, tail, and crest. Both males and females have a long red beak, measuring approximately 1.5 inches long. This thick red beak is perfect for cracking open seeds and nuts.
Some key identifying features of the Northern Cardinal include:
- Males: vivid red plumage, black face mask, bright red beak
- Females: greyish-brown plumage with red accents, red beak
- White bars on the wings
- Red crest on top of head
- Thick cone-shaped red beak, around 1.5 inches long
- Musical whistling call
The male’s vibrant red plumage makes him easy to spot against winter backdrops. Females are more camouflaged but can be identified by their red accents and distinctive beak shape. Listen for their melodic series of whistled notes to help spot these birds.
Habitat in Ohio
The Northern Cardinal is found widely across Ohio in a variety of habitats. This adaptable bird thrives in both rural and urban environments. Some key habitats include:
- Backyards – Common visitors to backyards with feeders, trees, and dense bushes
- Parks and gardens – Frequent parks and gardens with thickets and shrubbery
- Forest edges – Found along the borders of open woodlands
- Early successional habitat – Young forests with shrubs, small trees, and vines
- Swamps – Inhabits wetland areas like swamps and mangroves
- Riparian zones – Lives along streams, rivers, lakesides
Cardinals prefer sites with dense cover such as hedgerows, shrubs, and young saplings. They avoid open fields and grasslands lacking vegetation. Backyards make ideal habitat by providing shrubs, feeders, and mature trees for nesting and roosting. Look and listen for these birds in parks, gardens, or edges of wooded areas.
Diet
The Northern Cardinal is omnivorous, feeding on a diverse mix of plant and animal material. Their diet consists of:
- Seeds and nuts – Favored foods including sunflower seeds, dogwood berries, buckwheat, acorns, hawthorns, beech nuts
- Fruit – Berries, raisins, bananas, strawberries, figs
- Insects – Beetles, crickets, flies, moths, snails, spiders
- Tree sap – Feed on fermenting sap from wells made by sapsuckers
- Grains – Corn, wheat, oats from bird feeders or fields
- Young nestlings – May eat eggs and nestlings of other birds
Northern Cardinals forage primarily in shrubs and trees but will also feed on the ground. Their thick beaks easily crack hard seeds and nuts. At feeders, they favor black oil sunflower seeds, safflower, cracked corn, and fruit. Ensure your backyard has a diversity of foods to attract this species.
Behavior and Birdsong
Northern Cardinals are non-migratory, staying in their breeding territory year-round. They can be seen singly or in pairs most of the year, only gathering in small flocks during winter.
Males are very territorial, using loud calls, chasing, and physical combat to defend their nesting sites. Their bright red color declares their dominance and fitness. Females sing softer, shorter, rising-falling calls to communicate with their mates.
The Northern Cardinal has one of the prettiest birdsongs of backyard birds. Their territorial whistles sound like “whoit whoit whoit whoit” or “pretty pretty pretty” notes. They may sing throughout the year, but vocalizations peak during the breeding season in spring and early summer.
Both males and females sing, starting as early as dawn. Their calls carry far, up to a quarter-mile away. Spend time outside in the morning and evening to hear the lovely whistles of this bird.
Breeding and Nesting
The breeding season for Northern Cardinals spans from March to September, with 2-3 broods raised.
Males attract females by singing, courting them with neck strokes, and feeding them beak-to-beak. Once paired, the female builds a cup-shaped nest 3-10 feet off the ground in a dense shrub or small tree. The nest is constructed from twigs, leaves, grasses, vines, and lined with softer plant fibers.
Females lay 2-5 eggs which are pale white with brown speckles. She incubates the eggs for 12-13 days. Both parents feed the young nestlings regurgitated insects and seeds. Fledglings leave the nest 9-11 days after hatching but are still fed and cared for by the parents for some time after.
Providing nesting habitat by planting native shrubs and bushes will help attract breeding cardinals to your yard. Avoid trimming vegetation in spring and early summer during nesting.
Range and Conservation Status
The Northern Cardinal has a widespread range across eastern North America. Their breeding grounds span southern Canada down through the eastern United States, as far west as the Dakotas and Texas. Year-round they can be spotted from southern Ontario south to Florida and Mexico.
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, Northern Cardinal numbers remained stable between 1966-2015. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of over 100 million. Due to their huge range and stable population, the Northern Cardinal is evaluated as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.
In Ohio, Northern Cardinals can be found year-round statewide. They have likely expanded their range northward in the state over the last century. Northern Cardinals are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the U.S. and Canada. Backyard birders can support conservation by keeping cats indoors, reducing pesticide use, and planting native plants and bushes to provide habitat.
Fun Facts
Beyond their bright coloring and melodious song, Northern Cardinals have some interesting traits and behaviors:
- Males feed females beak-to-beak during courtship
- Both sexes may feed nestlings with “bird milk” – regurgitated seeds and insects
- Pairs mate for life, staying together year-round
- They can survive cold winters by fluffing feathers for insulation
- Oldest known wild Cardinal was over 15 years old
- The red color comes from carotenoids in their diet
- State bird of 7 eastern U.S. states
- Unusually uses bark strips, not grasses, to build nests
- Known for vigorous territorial defense all year
The Northern Cardinal is a backyard favorite thanks to its flashy plumage, whistle calls, and perky crest. Take time to appreciate the beauty of these birds visiting your feeders or nesting in your gardens. Their bright color and cheerful songs bring joy to the cold winter months. Get to know the Northern Cardinal and you’ll have a feathered friend for life.
Conclusion
In summary, the Northern Cardinal is the grey-bodied, red-beaked bird most likely matching the description for Ohio. Males are a vivid red with a black face mask while females are more grey-brown. Both have a thick red cone-shaped beak around 1.5 inches long. Cardinals inhabit a variety of wooded and suburban habitats across the state. They dine on a diverse diet of seeds, nuts, fruit, and insects.
Northern Cardinals form lifelong pair bonds, staying together year-round. Males defend territories vigorously with loud whistling calls. They are common sights at backyard feeders and nest in dense shrubs and small trees. While widespread and stable in numbers, habitat loss and pesticides pose threats requiring ongoing conservation efforts. The Northern Cardinal remains one of Ohio’s most recognizable backyard birds, lighting up gardens and feeders with their color and song.