Bird

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Lives in Louisiana all year and nests here. Found in all 64 parishes, across 16 habitats.

Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 64 parishes
Habitats: 16

Male Northern Cardinal, whole bird — **Male**. (c) Daughter Dad, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY. iNaturalist photo 517002723. iNaturalist large derivative; no local crop or retouch.

At a glance

Group: Birds
Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 64 parishes
Habitats: 16
Habitat models: Year-round

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in Louisiana 16

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 16

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

Year-roundUnconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune)

Coastal Plain seepage bogs

Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.

Year-roundSouthern Coastal Plain Herbaceous Seepage Bog

Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)

Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.

Year-round

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Year-round

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Year-roundMississippi River Riparian Forest; Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest; West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest; West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest; Red River Large Floodplain Forest; Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

Year-roundDisturbed/Successional - Shrub Regeneration; Successional Shrub/Scrub (Other); Harvested Forest - Shrub Regeneration

Hardwood and oak flatwoods

Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loblolly-Hardwood Flatwoods; West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods; Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods; West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Year-roundMississippi Delta Maritime Forest

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

Year-roundMississippi River Alluvial Plain Dry-Mesic Loess Slope Forest

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loess Bluff Forest; West Gulf Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope Forest

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Year-roundEast Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier; West Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods; East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Year-roundWest Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Year-roundTexas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Year-roundDeveloped, Open Space; Pasture/Hay; Disturbed/Successional - Grass/Forb Regeneration; Utility Swath - Herbaceous; Ruderal Upland - Old Field

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Year-roundSouthern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall; West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall; East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp; Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain Swamp Systems; West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp; Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Cypress Dome; Mississippi River Bottomland Depression

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

Year-roundDeciduous Plantation; Evergreen Plantation or Managed Pine; Managed Tree Plantation

Other habitats in its models (164)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Louisiana.

Developed, Low Intensity Year-round.
Developed, Medium Intensity Year-round.
Orchards Vineyards and Other High Structure Agriculture Year-round.
Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Year-round.
Unconsolidated Shore Year-round.
Central and Southern Appalachian Northern Hardwood Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Juniper Modifier Year-round.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
Ridge and Valley Calcareous Valley Bottom Glade and Woodland Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Year-round.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest - Xeric Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round.
Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Northern Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Ouachita Montane Oak Forest Year-round.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest Year-round.
Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood Year-round.
Central and Southern Appalachian Montane Oak Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Year-round.
South Florida Hardwood Hammock Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Year-round.
Southwest Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Year-round.
Southeast Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Chenier and Upper Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Year-round.
East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Year-round.
East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Year-round.
East-Central Texas Plains Floodplain Forest Year-round.
South Florida Pine Rockland Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Oak Dome and Hammock Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Maritime Forest Year-round.
Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Mesic Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Maritime Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Maritime Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Maritime Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Year-round.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Virginia/Pitch Pine Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest - Offsite Pine Modifier Year-round.
Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Pine Modifier Year-round.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Year-round.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry Hardwood Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Southeastern Interior Longleaf Pine Woodland Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest Year-round.
Central Appalachian Oak and Pine Forest Year-round.
Appalachian Hemlock-Hardwood Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest Year-round.
Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Sandhill Oak and Shortleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest Year-round.
Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest Year-round.
South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood and Mixed Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Low Mountain Pine Forest Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Bluestem Woodland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
Central and Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest Year-round.
Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Shrub Modifier Year-round.
Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Year-round.
Florida Dry Prairie Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland Year-round.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald Year-round.
Recently Logged Areas Year-round.
Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Year-round.
Recently Burned Year-round.
Recently Burned Forest Year-round.
Recently Burned Grassland Year-round.
Recently Burned Shrubland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Shrub Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Year-round.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Year-round.
Mississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Year-round.
Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Taxodium Modifier Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Bay/Gum Modifier Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Nupea Modifier Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Clethra Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Year-round.
South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Year-round.
Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Year-round.
Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Year-round.
Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Wooded Swamp Year-round.
South Florida Mangrove Swamp Year-round.
South Florida Bayhead Swamp Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp Year-round.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Year-round.
South Florida Dwarf Cypress Savanna Year-round.
Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Year-round.
South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Year-round.
Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Year-round.
South Florida Cypress Dome Year-round.
Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Year-round.
Southern Piedmont/Ridge and Valley Upland Depression Swamp Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Central Appalachian Floodplain - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems Year-round.
Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems Year-round.
Cumberland Riverscour Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Hydric Hammock Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Year-round.
South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
South Florida Pine Flatwoods Year-round.
Central Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Year-round.
Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Year-round.
South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Year-round.