Do Cardinals Mourn The Loss Of A Mate?

The bright red plumage and sweet songs of the Northern Cardinal bring cheer to backyards across North America. But beneath their vibrant exteriors, cardinals have complex social and emotional lives. When a mated cardinal loses their partner, do they grieve the loss?

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Research shows that cardinals do exhibit signs of mourning when they lose a mate, such as calling out for their missing partner and searching extensively.

However, they usually take a new mate fairly quickly due to their short breeding seasons.

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the pair bonding habits of cardinals and examine the evidence that they mourn and search for lost mates. We’ll also discuss how long the mourning period lasts before they take a new partner.

Cardinals Form Strong Monogamous Bonds

Cardinals are mostly socially monogamous

Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are songbirds mostly known for the male’s bright red plumage. Research shows that over 90% of mated cardinal pairs remain faithful and mate for life (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2023).

This social monogamy means a male and female coordinate nesting and feeding activities. They do not necessarily have sexual fidelity, though evidence suggests cardinals often do.

Pairs work cooperatively to build nests and raise young

According to the Audubon Society, cardinals produce around 2-5 broods per year from March to August, with 3-4 eggs per clutch. A cooperatively bonded pair is more likely to successfully fledge young. The male brings food while the female incubates the eggs, and both parents will feed the nestlings.

They alternate trips to forage for insects, seeds, fruits, and berries, as many as 20 feedings per hour! The combined effort is crucial to raising healthy offspring.

Both the male and female will also build nests, typically in dense vegetation not far off the ground. The female has primary responsibility for nest construction, but the male contributes twigs and other material.

Conservation measures aim to provide appropriate nest sites for cardinals throughout their range in the U.S. and southern Canada.

Partners develop familiarity and preference for each other

Cardinals develop interdependence and preference for their established partners. Scientists have demonstrated that paired females will vocally defend their territory from single females testing the pair bond.

As highly habitual creatures, cardinals that have nested successfully together previously are more likely to reunite year after year. If one mate dies, the widowed bird may find a new partner, but mourning behaviors have been observed.

The loyalty and affection between established pairs is heartwarming. And while humans often project our emotions onto animals, research now confirms cardinals do indeed form close social bonds that can persist a lifetime.

Signs Cardinals Grieve for Lost Mates

Cardinals call and search for missing mates

It’s heartbreaking when two cardinal companions who have built a lifelong bond become separated by death. Researchers have witnessed surviving cardinals frantically calling and searching for their missing mates. They exhibit behavior indicating their distress over the sudden absence of their partner.

Surviving cardinals have been observed returning to the same spot repeatedly and calling out loudly for their mate for days or even weeks. Clearly these remarkable birds mourn the loss deeply.

They may abandon nests and eggs

Cardinals typically mate for life and share parenting duties like incubating eggs and feeding nestlings. But researchers have noted instances of surviving mate cardinals abandoning active nests containing eggs and featherless hatchlings after the death of their co-parent.

This suggests a level of grieving that overrides natural instincts to care for young. It’s speculated that the tremendous stress over losing their partner interferes with their breeding behavior.

Depression-like behavior has been observed

Scientists have noted signs of depression in cardinals who have lost their mate, similar to human grief. The surviving bird often appears withdrawn and less active. Their appearance may become more unkempt and ragged. Vocalizations become less frequent.

Appetite suffers, indicated by a lack of interest even in favorite treats offered by researchers. Interacting with people or fellow cardinals is avoided and there seems to be little joy displayed in typical cardinal activities.

The normally energetic and striking birds display the Cardinal equivalent of profound emotional pain after so great a loss.

Mourning Period Typically Lasts A Few Weeks

The passing of a mate can be hard on any animal, and cardinals are no exception. However, research shows that the mourning period for widowed cardinals is relatively brief, lasting just a few weeks in most cases before they start seeking out new partners.

Cardinals have a short breeding season

Cardinals only breed during the spring and summer months. This limited window puts pressure on them to find a mate and raise offspring quickly. If one bird dies, the other cannot afford a prolonged grieving period if it hopes to reproduce that year.

A study by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology found the average cardinal breeding season lasts just 12-13 weeks. With such a short season, it’s adaptively beneficial for cardinals to move on rapidly after losing their mate.

Widowed cardinals usually find new mates quickly

Research on banded cardinals has shown that widowed birds generally take only 2-3 weeks before seeking a new partner. During this brief mourning period, the remaining bird may be seen calling out more frequently as if searching for their lost mate.

But soon their instinctive drive to find a breeding partner kicks in. The mourning cardinal’s calls become more melodious as it starts advertising itself to potential new mates.

This quick changeover maximizes the chance of the remaining cardinal successfully reproducing before the breeding season ends. From an evolutionary perspective, individuals that spend too long mourning would be at a reproductive disadvantage.

However, some remain faithful to late mates for longer

While most cardinals swiftly take new partners, some exceptions have been noted. In rare cases, a grief-stricken cardinal may remain at the site of its mate’s death for weeks or even months.

One study described a heartbroken male who stayed near his deceased female for over 6 weeks through the end of the breeding season, not attempting to find a new mate. Such loyalty is touching, but evolutionarily costly for the birds involved.

Things That Can Impact Cardinals’ Mourning

Time of year when mate is lost

The time of year when a cardinal loses its mate can significantly impact how it responds to the loss. Cardinals tend to form the strongest pair bonds during the breeding season in spring and early summer. If one mate dies during this time, the other mate will mourne deeply.

They may call out frequently to try to locate their lost partner. This intense grieving at the height of breeding season likely occurs because the surviving bird suddenly finds itself without a mate to help build a nest, lay eggs, incubate eggs, and raise offspring.

The urge to breed is strong, so the loss of a mate is traumatic.

In contrast, cardinals that lose a mate during the non-breeding season of late summer, autumn, or winter generally do not mourn as intensely. They may briefly call out for their missing partner, but often quickly accept the loss.

This is likely because the drive to breed has diminished, so the presence of a mate is less crucial. The cardinals do not have an urgent need to replace their mate and raise young. Therefore, the loss impacts them less severely.

Availability of new potential mates

The availability and abundance of new potential mates can also influence how cardinals respond to losing a mate. In ideal cardinal habitat with a robust population density, cardinals that lose a mate can often attract a new partner relatively quickly, sometimes within a few days or weeks.

This new bond helps console them and stops extensive vocalizations or searching behaviors for the deceased mate.

However, in marginal habitats where cardinal numbers are lower, replacing a lost mate can be challenging. With fewer single cardinals looking for partners, the mourning period of the surviving bird often increases.

It may take many weeks or months to finally bond with a new mate, so bereavement behaviors like frequent calling persist. In extremely isolated habitats with very few cardinals, a survivor may never find a replacement mate.

The cardinal’s age and breeding experience

Younger cardinals that have only bred for a season or two seem to mourn the loss of a mate most intensely. They engage in loud, frequent calling and anxious searching to relocate their missing partner. This may be because younger birds are less accustomed to the ups and downs of breeding seasons.

They have invested less time cultivating backup mate options.

Older cardinals with several years of breeding experience appear better adapted to cope with the death of a mate. They mourn the loss via calling and restless behavior as well, but generally resume normal activity more quickly.

Their greater life experience likely helps them accept mortality as a natural part of the breeding cycle. With years to establish bonds, older cardinals also have better replacement mate prospects within their habitat.

Conclusion

In summary, research indicates that cardinals do mourn the loss of their mates. They call out for missing partners and may show depressed behavior. However, due to their short breeding seasons, cardinals typically find new mates within a few weeks or less.

The mourning period can vary based on seasonal timing and individual circumstances. With their bright spirits and affectionate bonds, cardinals continue bringing joy to backyards even through difficult losses.