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What the sources say

Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Northern Cardinal profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 46 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018

Cardinalis cardinalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22723819A132024136.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: status
The page saysThe IUCN rates the species Least Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Cardinalis cardinalis (northern cardinal). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysWeed seeds, grains, fruit and insects
The source saysAbout 90% of northern cardinals' diet consists of weed seeds, grains, insects, fruits, and sunflower seeds.Note: stats.diet; the list only, the ADW 90% figure is not used
The page saysWoodland edges, hedgerows and thickets in eastern and central North America, plus gardens with feeders
The source saysNorthern cardinals have a preference for the edges of woods, hedgerows, and vegetation around houses.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysWoodland edges, hedgerows and thickets in eastern and central North America, plus gardens with feeders
The source saysCardinals prefer to build their nests in dense thickets.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysWoodland edges, hedgerows and thickets in eastern and central North America, plus gardens with feeders
The source saysThey are found throughout eastern and central North America from southern Canada into parts of Mexico and Central America.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysWoodland edges, hedgerows and thickets in eastern and central North America, plus gardens with feeders
The source saysCardinals also benefit from the large numbers of humans who feed them and other seed-eating birds with backyard bird feeders.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysBoth males and females sing
The source saysMale and female cardinals both sing.
The page saysThe songs are loud, whistled phrases that defend territory and court mates
The source saysTheir songs are loud, beautiful whistled phrases. ... These songs are used to defend territories and to court mates.
The page saysChip calls work as contact calls and alarms
The source saysMale and female cardinals use "chips" as contact calls and alarms.
The page saysraising and lowering the crest, the tuft of feathers on the head, also signals alarm
The source saysThey also have many visual displays to signal alarm. These include "tail-flicks" and raising and lowering the crest.
The page saysAn adult is 20.9 to 23.5 cm long
The source saysRange length 20.9 to 23.5 cm
The page saysaverages 42 to 48 g
The source saysThe average weight of adult cardinals is 42 to 48 g.Note: AnAge lists adult weight 42.6 g
The page sayshas an average wingspan of 30.5 cm
The source saysAverage wingspan length measures 30.5 cm.
The page saysThe bill is thick and cone-shaped, and cardinals prefer seeds that are easily husked
The source saysBoth males and females have thick, orange-red, cone-shaped bills
The page saysThe bill is thick and cone-shaped, and cardinals prefer seeds that are easily husked
The source saysThey prefer seeds that are easily husked
The page saysparents feed their chicks almost exclusively insects
The source saysfeed their young almost exclusively insects
The page saysThe female incubates the eggs for 11 to 13 days
The source saysincubates the eggs for 11 to 13 days
The page saysThey are year-round residents of their range
The source saysNorthern cardinals are not migratory; they are year-round residents throughout their range.Note: FAQ
The page saysIn winter most join flocks and roost together, then in the breeding season they turn territorial
The source saysIn winter, most cardinals flock and roost together. During the breeding season, they are quite territorial.Note: FAQ
The page saysBoth male and female northern cardinals sing
The source saysMale and female cardinals both sing.Note: vibe.reason animal clause, same source as the body claim "Both males and females sing"
The page saysweightKg: 0.045
The source saysThe average weight of adult cardinals is 42 to 48 g.Note: #998; name guess put it Light

Source
03

Halkin et al. 2021

Halkin et al. (2021). Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Birds of the World.

The page saysMale northern cardinals are brilliant red
The source saysmales are brilliant red
The page saysFemales are mostly grayish tan, with red on the wings, tail and crest
The source saysfemales are primarily grayish tan with red on the wings, tail, and crest
The page saysIt comes from carotenoids, pigments the bird eats, changes chemically inside its body and deposits in new feathers while it molts
The source saysRed plumage color results from ingestion, metabolic conversion, and deposition of carotenoid pigments obtained from the diet during molt.
The page saysColour may carry a message
The source saysPlumage coloration may signal individual quality and/or behavioral attributes.
The page saysRedder males have denser vegetation on their territories, and may be larger and have higher reproductive success
The source saysRedder males, with more densely pigmented plumage, have territories with greater vegetation density, and may be larger and have higher reproductive success.
The page saysStudies in cities and the countryside have found different links between colour and success
The source saysStudies in urban and rural environments have reported different relationships between plumage color and behavior or reproductive success
The page saysMates and neighbours share most or all of their songs, and the repertoires drift apart with distance, which makes local dialects
The source saysLocal song dialects are apparent; mates and neighbors share most or all of their song repertoires, and repertoires diverge increasingly with increased distance
The page saysThe diet is mainly seeds, fruits and insects
The source saysThis species is omnivorous with a diet consisting mainly of seeds, fruits and insects.
The page saysCardinals live across eastern, central and parts of southwestern North America, from southern Canada to northern Central America, and have been introduced to Hawaii, southern California and Bermuda
The source saysbroadly distributed in eastern, central, and portions of southwestern North America, from southern Canada to northern Central America, and has been introduced to Hawaii, southern California, and Bermuda
The page saysThe range has been expanding northward since at least the mid-1800s, as the birds took advantage of moderate temperatures, human habitation and bird feeders
The source sayshas been expanding its range northward since at least the mid-1800s, taking advantage of moderate temperatures, human habitation, and provisioning at bird feeders
The page saysonly 15 to 37 percent of nests produce fledglings
The source saysonly 15–37% of nests produce fledglings
The page saysBoth sexes sing, and a female singing from the nest appears to tell her mate when to bring food
The source saysBoth males and females sing. Female song from the nest appears to provide the male with information about when to bring food to the nest.Note: FAQ
The page sayspredators take many eggs and nestlings
The source saysPredation rates are high on nestlings and eggs
The page saysLife is risky at the nest
The source saysPredation rates are high on nestlings and eggs, and only 15–37% of nests produce fledglings.
The page saysThat red is not made from scratch
The source saysRed plumage color results from ingestion, metabolic conversion, and deposition of carotenoid pigments obtained from the diet during molt.
The page saysmates share most or all of their songs
The source saysLocal song dialects are apparent; mates and neighbors share most or all of their song repertoires, and repertoires diverge increasingly with increased distanceNote: vibe.reason animal clause, same source as the body claim "Mates and neighbours share most or all of their songs, and t"

Source
04

McGraw et al. 2001

McGraw et al. (2001). The Influence of Carotenoid Acquisition and Utilization on the Maintenance of Species-Typical Plumage Pigmentation in Male American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) and Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.

The page saysA red songbird that turns yellow food pigments into scarlet feathers
The source saysnorthern cardinals grew pale red feathers in the absence of red dietary pigments, indicating that their ability to metabolize yellow carotenoids in the diet contributes to the bright red plumage that they displayNote: tagline and superpower
The page saysCardinals kept away from red pigments in their diet still grew pale red feathers, which indicates that their bodies turn yellow food pigments into red ones
The source saysWe also deprived cardinals of red dietary pigments to determine whether they could manufacture red carotenoids from yellow precursors to grow species-typical red plumage. ... northern cardinals grew pale red feathers in the absence of red dietary pigments, indicating that their ability to metabolize yellow carotenoids in the diet contributes to the bright red plumage that they displayNote: FAQ
The page saysTurns yellow food pigments into red feathers
The source saysnorthern cardinals grew pale red feathers in the absence of red dietary pigments, indicating that their ability to metabolize yellow carotenoids in the diet contributes to the bright red plumage that they displayNote: stats.superpower

Source
05

All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Northern Cardinal Overview. All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The page saysThe oldest recorded cardinal was a female, 15 years and 9 months old when she was found in Pennsylvania
The source saysThe oldest recorded Northern Cardinal was a female, and was 15 years, 9 months old when she was found in Pennsylvania.
The page saysBoth sexes attack their own reflections in windows and car mirrors, most often in spring and early summer, when they are defending their territory
The source saysa cardinal attacking its reflection in a window, car mirror, or shiny bumper. Both males and females do this, and most often in spring and early summer when they are obsessed with defending their territory against any intruders.

Source
06

McGraw, Hill & Parker 2003

McGraw, Hill & Parker (2003). Carotenoid Pigments in a Mutant Cardinal: Implications for the Genetic and Enzymatic Control Mechanisms of Carotenoid Metabolism in Birds. The Condor.

The page saysResearchers once studied a cardinal with yellow feathers
The source saysWe investigated carotenoid pigments present in the feathers of an aberrantly colored yellow Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
The page saysThey lacked all four of the usual red pigments and held yellow ones instead, including lutein, a yellow pigment from food
The source saysWe found that the yellow feathers of this mutant lacked all four of the typical red pigments, and instead contained a yellow dietary carotenoid (lutein) and three yellow metabolic derivatives
The page saysThe mutation seems to have impaired only one class of chemical reaction, leaving the rest working
The source saysit seems that this genetic mutation did not broadly disrupt all metabolic activity, but specifically impaired only one class of metabolic reactions and its associated enzymes.

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.