Insane Cardinal

FBH44 · Apr 13, 2018

For a month now, a young cardinal has been banging his head against the living room window, upper left-hand corner.. From first light, all day long, til dark. Unending. We have a white oak just outside the window. He perches only 3 feet away. 14 hours a day. Doing no damage, just bumping the glass. Either in love, or insane, or in something....

RayP(MI) · Apr 13, 2018

Could he be fighting his reflection?

rustyfarmall · Apr 13, 2018

Is there another window, on the other side of the house? That cardinal may think he can just fly right through without even realizing that your house is there.

Stephen Newell · Apr 13, 2018

You might get a decoy of a hawk or an owl and place by the window.

Glen SW Wi · Apr 13, 2018

Just protecting his territory. Fighting his image in the glass.

rockyridgefarm · Apr 13, 2018

(quoted from post at 08:59:10 04/13/18) For a month now, a young cardinal has been banging his head against the living room window, upper left-hand corner.. From first light, all day long, til dark. Unending. We have a white oak just outside the window. He perches only 3 feet away. 14 hours a day. Doing no damage, just bumping the glass. Either in love, or insane, or in something....

You can hang netting over the window so he can't see his reflection. If that stops him, you know he was seeing his reflection, and was just defending his territory from what he thought was an interloper.

Bruce from Can. · Apr 13, 2018

We had a idiot Cardinal doing the same thing couple years ago , he got over it after nesting season was past.

Hay hay hay · Apr 13, 2018

He is just fighting off that other bird (his image) that is trying to horn in on his territory. Spray a little of the old fashioned window cleaner that turns white on the glass and the problem will disappear.

If you have a horse that weaves in a stall fretting over being alone...often a mirror will fix the problem...a new friend.

Crazy Horse · Apr 13, 2018

He has teenaged (in bird years) birdies at home, not sure of the proper ornithological term. Banging his head on the window is the equivalent of you or I banging our head on the wall.

gene bender · Apr 13, 2018

Thats nothing new birds have been doing that forever not just Cardinals just hang something on the outside and he will stop but could go to another window i have one who goes to three different places depending on what tme of day

Gary Mitchell · Apr 13, 2018

Cardinals seem to be particularly gung ho on fighting their own reflected image. Pop had to tie plastic bags on his truck mirrors when it was parked at his house because cards were ruining the surface of the mirrors and their other end wasn't doing much for the paint job on his truck doors. gm

gab · Apr 13, 2018

In 2002 we had a new window installed in the living room (about a seven X five window including the swing outs, within a year a bird broke one of the small windows, heard the thud, didn't see the bird. Few years ago a cardinal worked all summer trying to bust the other side, all day everyday. Chased that thing all summer with a bb gun, even cut down the bush next to the window and he just launched from a tree 20 feet away. Finally got the drop on him, miss the bush though.

Moonlite37 · Apr 13, 2018

Woodpecker pecked on the school house door. song learned in third grade

Eagle Beagle · Apr 13, 2018

This time of year in N. Texas we have Cedar Waxwings getting drunk on all the fermenting holly berries. Hitting windows regularly and knocking themselves out till they sober up.

Or the cat gets them!!

Beagle

grizz02 · Apr 13, 2018

just take a piece of surveyor tape and tape it to the window it will blow in the wind should scare him off unless he's banged his head one too many times🐤

David G · Apr 13, 2018

Just fighting his reflection, I had turkeys doing that for a year at patio door after building house.

ss55 · Apr 13, 2018

Yup, he's fighting his reflection. Other types of birds will do that too.

Cory Schmidt · Apr 13, 2018

yep cardinals are "bully" birds when it come to territory and don't like others cutting in. We have one around the yard here. Hung a few "trash can" feeders out. The red male starts at the top of the tree and works his way down to them. If any other bird is near by, it goes straight to the feeder and often chases everything else away from em, even the (brown) female cardinal.

DoubleO7 · Apr 13, 2018

A strip or square of window screen stuck to outside of favorite area with a few tabs of gorilla tape will remove his enemy from invading his territory.

ed will · Apr 13, 2018

Hi, I had an Oriole here some years ago. He would sit on the tube frame of the west coast mirrors on my 3 ton. He would sit and make a racket for hours at a time. A very colorful bird. Ed Will Oliver BC

gene bender · Apr 13, 2018

The males at my feeders mix well with the other birds dont see any problems

jared in wi · Apr 13, 2018

I have the same problem, our cardinal has been doing it since we moved in 2 1/2 years ago. Maybe it is the same one?

Jared

MT RON · Apr 13, 2018

One time years ago my dad was working in the shop and he kept hearing the phone ringing and he wondered why Mom didn't answer it.He finally spotted a woodpecker sitting on his grain auger pecking away looking for a mate.He got quite a laugh out of that.

guido · Apr 13, 2018

Hello fbh44,

You can add a robin in the INSANE bird category. This morning he was pecking at the sliding door glass. Few days ago was pecking at my drivers door, also perched on the rear view mirror. The back side looked of the middle looked like Niagara Falls. Passenger side? just as bad.
I guess it's been a long winter for them too.Wacko 🐦.......

Guido.

Insane Cardinal

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