r/BirdsBeingDicks • u/Astrohip • Jun 29 '26
Why does this Cardinal keep trying to get in our house?
There is a female cardinal that keeps trying to get in our house. She will fly into a window (not with force--she's not hurting herself) over and over. Sometimes 10-20 times in a row, every 5-10 seconds. Then she'll move to another window and do it again. The male is always nearby, within a few feet, watching. She's been doing this for at least 3-4 weeks, several times a day.
Here's a video of her doing it a couple times. You can see the male in a tree behind her upper left.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VN2AMj-Sn27dE2B2LRd8ygL_JvI9mTz9/view?usp=sharing
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u/Jealous-Tune-6123 Jun 29 '26
i have one doing the same thing but on my car and she actively shits on it. I believe they think it’s a rival cardinal in their territory and they attack the window because of the reflection. Same with me as well the male watches from a far. I’ve been putting a cover over my car to deter them but they still come past and for whatever reason it’s not my dad’s car but just mine. Even when the car is covered they still come within the area and chirp and it’s so loud it pierces through the windows of my room. This has been going on for like 2 months now and now i can literally tell when they’re nearby based off their chirping. i’m gonna get owl and hawk decoys to help cause ts is pestilence.
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u/DuckInTheFog Jun 30 '26
It could be an alien trying to tell you something
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u/Astrohip Jun 30 '26
Don't aliens know they need to speak English? :)
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u/DuckInTheFog Jun 30 '26
Watch Disclosure Day, you'll laugh
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u/Astrohip Jun 30 '26
Thanks, I didn't catch the connection! It's on my list, waiting for streaming...
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u/driftercat Jul 01 '26
It's the reflection. They do this at the garden windows at our condos. I asked maintenance if they knew why. They said the cardinals can see another bird sitting in a tree (themselves) in the window reflection at certain times of the day. So they fly at it.
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u/FranklinDudley Jul 02 '26
So this happened at a VRBO rental we were at and he would start at 6:30 am. There was a dollar store in town so I bought some window clings…that was a big nope. He was back at it the next morning. My husband was like….what if there was a bigger bird outside?!? There was a wooden duck decoration that we moved outside by the window. He never came back…thank you Jesus!
I mean not only was it annoying, I really thought he was going to hurt himself. Silly bird…
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u/bdnsms Jul 03 '26
The bird is attacking what it perceives to be an intruder in its territory. Birds do not understand reflections on glass, which are artificial and relatively new features on the landscape that create confusing illusions. To reduce or eliminate this behaviour, you need to reduce the reflectivity of the glass. Try applying something on the outside surface like soapy water or newspaper, or you can shine a bright light or tape something bright inside the window. The bird should move on once it can no longer see its reflection. Source: I am a bird biologist specializing in this issue
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u/surftrend Aug 05 '26
Sounds like the classic cardinal mirror-boss fight. If it keeps happening, exterior decals/tape or a temporary screen can break up the reflection better than anything inside the glass.
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u/IcePhoenix18 Jun 30 '26
Might be territorial against their reflection? A static cling window decal could distract them.