I Whether you’re a city-dweller or a country-dweller, winter in the Ozarks can be a spectacular time to observe and feed native Ozark birds. I consider gardening and bird watching and feeding to go hand in hand.

Chief among the birds that flock to feeders in the Ozarks is the Northern Cardinal, one of ten species of Cardinalianae that occur in North America. It’s hard to miss the bright red plumage of the male cardinal that is complemented by red crest on top of his head, a black face and thick red bill. Although she’s less showy, the female cardinal is also beautifully colored in a dusty brown with a red crest, wings and tail.

The stout design of the cardinal beak makes it ideal for crushing the black oil sunflower seeds which seem to be the preferred winter fare of the garden dwelling cardinal. I have also found cardinals in my garden devouring just about any type of seed left on plants from the hard black seeds of the morning glory to the bright red berries of the burning bush.

Cardinals are highly territorial throughout the year, so they will alternately feud and frolic with each other at the feeders and amongst the seed bearing plants. Cardinals will perch on hanging feeders, and they will also eat off the ground.

In addition to the bright color a cardinal brings to the winter garden landscape, cardinals also bring song. They are known for singing throughout the year rather than just during the spring like most birds.

Cardinals like to have some sheltering habitat from winter weather and from predators. Throughout the year, but especially during the winter months, I will find dozens of male and female cardinals buried in my shrubs—hydrangea, rose of Sharon, euonymous, forsythia and others--as they assess the landscape and take turns swooping into the nearby feeders.

In the wild, cardinal habitat is generally a thicket such as one created by briars, so any garden with some "brushy" areas inside or outside the garden provides good habitat for the cardinal throughout the year.

Cardinals will continue to eat at feeders throughout the year, but as the weather warms the cardinal diet will increasingly consist of insects.

Male cardinals are notoriously vain birds, and they will preen and talk to themselves in a window that reflect their image or in a mirror. Gardeners interested in the psychology of the cardinal should hang a bit of mirror somewhere in the garden for the opportunity to enjoy a show by a male cardinal.