NORTHERN CARDINAL URBAN ECOLOGY

A female Northern Cardinal (Photo by Bruce Jordan).

With undergraduate students at SUNY Oswego, I am studying the causes and consequences of the Northern Cardinal's tendency to occupy urban areas. The Northern Cardinal is a species that appears to be able to breed successfully in human-dominated landscapes. My research is aimed at determining why they are successful and how urban populations are different from rural populations. We work at Rice Creek Field Station in Oswego, NY and Barry Park in Syracuse New York. Our field work entails searching for and monitoring cardinal territories and nests, capturing and banding individuals, and collecting data on traits such as singing behavior, plumage color, and reproductive success.

Rice Creek Field Station, Oswego, NY

Barry Park, Syracuse, NY

Cardinal nestlings a few days away from fledging.

A female cardinal underwing photo for plumage color analysis.