Observations of Coordinated Song, Courtship Display, Courtship Feeding, and Copulation in Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) in Virginia

Joanna R. Vondrasek*

*Health and Life Sciences, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA 22902.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 30, Issue 4 (2023): N71–N74

First published early online: 16 December 2023

Abstract
I report several related observations of previously undocumented courtship and singing behavior in Cardinalis cardinalis (Northern Cardinal) in central Virginia. The observations indicate that solo female song and coordinated male–female song may precede “song–dance” displays and that these displays may be followed by copulation. I also report on a female providing a male with food in courtship feeding, which previously has only been documented as a male-to-female behavior.

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