Bird

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Lives in West Virginia all year and nests here. Found in all 55 counties, across 14 habitats.

Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 55 counties
Habitats: 14

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 55 counties
Habitats: 14
Habitat models: Year-round

Where it lives

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

Habitats in West Virginia 14

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

1 of 14

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

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Year-roundSouthern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest - Xeric; Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood; Central and Southern Appalachian Montane Oak Forest; Central Appalachian Oak and Pine Forest; Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland; Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland

Floodplain and bottomland forests

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

Year-roundCentral Appalachian Floodplain - Forest Modifier; Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier; Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems; Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

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

Hemlock forests

Shady, evergreen forests of eastern or Carolina hemlock, often along rocky mountain streams and in gorges.

Year-roundAppalachian Hemlock-Hardwood Forest

Moderately dry forests

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

Year-roundSouthern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest

Moist forests

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

Year-roundSouthern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest; South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest

Mountain balds

Treeless grassy or shrubby summits and ridges in the high mountains.

Year-roundSouthern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Shrub Modifier

Rich cove forests

Sheltered, moist mountain hollows and lower slopes with deep, fertile soil.

Year-roundSouthern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest

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

Spruce-fir forests

Cool, evergreen forests of red spruce and Fraser fir on the highest mountains.

Year-round

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Year-roundCentral Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; Cumberland Riverscour; South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian

Swamps

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

Year-roundCentral Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems

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 (172)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in West Virginia.

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 (Beach/Dune) 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.
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.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern 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.
Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Dry-Mesic Loess Slope Forest 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.
Mississippi Delta Maritime Forest Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Mesic Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope 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.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Forest Year-round.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Sandhill Oak and Shortleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Year-round.
Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand 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 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.
Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub 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.
Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie 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.
Southern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Year-round.
Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain 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.
Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain Tidal Marsh Systems 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.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River 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.
Southern Coastal Plain Herbaceous Seepage Bog 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.
Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier Year-round.
South Florida Cypress Dome Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine 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.
Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Year-round.
Mississippi River Riparian Forest Year-round.
Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Hydric Hammock Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest 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.
Red River Large Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Year-round.
Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Year-round.
Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Scrub/Shrub Understory 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.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Year-round.
Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods Year-round.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loblolly-Hardwood Flatwoods Year-round.
South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods Year-round.
Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Year-round.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods Year-round.