We have had bird feeders for five to six years which among other birds attracts cardinals. It was not until this year though that an entire cardinal family has remained here and we can easily have up to seven cardinals visiting at one time. The very odd thing though is that one of the babies (I believe) is still very dependent upon the mother to feed it. It is as big if not bigger than the mother and has not the slightest red coloration. The baby will continuously ruffle his wings and will not go onto either feeder to eat. It will stand atop the supporting post and the mother will hop back and forth from feeder to baby to orally feed it. Also the baby's vocalizations are of a sweet three syllable chirping not typical of a cardinal. This has been going on for perhaps a week now.
Can anyone offer some insight as to why a bird would exhibit this kind of behavior? We are perplexed!
Can anyone offer some insight as to why a bird would exhibit this kind of behavior? We are perplexed!
