In a Canadian winter, colour is in short supply. The land settles into shades of grey and white, and even familiar places can feel drained of life.

Then, without warning, a blaze of red cuts through the drabness — a northern cardinal perched in a snow-dabbled cedar or on the snow under a feeder. The effect is electric: a flame caught in winter’s breath.

There are so many reasons we love cardinals. Because they remain year-round, they become symbols of resilience and companionship, birds that stay when so many others disappear. They are also easy to recognize — no binoculars needed — which makes identifying them feel rewarding rather than intimidating.

Their behaviours and voices deepen the connection. Cardinals usually appear in pairs, and the male’s habit of feeding the female during courtship invites us to see qualities like care and loyalty. Their clear, whistled songs — slow, rich, and instantly recognizable — stand out from the background noise of the natural world, especially in late winter when few other birds are singing.

By living and singing close to our homes, cardinals also turn ordinary backyards into places of daily beauty and interest, becoming not distant wildlife but welcome neighbours.

Cardinals are relative newcomers to Ontario. The species was first documented around 1900 at Point Pelee near Windsor. Pushing steadily northward, they reached Peterborough in about 1950.

They have always remained closely tied to towns and suburbs, rarely straying far from human habitation. Cardinals are “edge” specialists, preferring the borders where thickets, hedges and ornamental evergreens meet open lawns — exactly what we create in our backyards.

Their northward expansion also reflects milder winters and more backyard feeders boosting winter survival. Cardinals are now found as far north as Sudbury.

The vibrant red of a male northern cardinal is a complex interplay of diet, genetics and evolution. While their brilliant hue originates from carotenoids — pigments found........

© Peterborough Examiner