Zillow said this place had great ‘curb appeal,’ but we’re thinking it needs a little more… foliage? 🏠🐦

Looks like this Northern Cardinal pair is scouting out the neighborhood. While they usually prefer a cozy thicket over a traditional birdhouse, you can’t blame them for checking out the local real estate!

While that rustic red birdhouse makes for a stunning photograph, it won’t be hosting a cardinal family anytime soon. Northern Cardinals are famously picky about their real estate and strictly avoid enclosed birdhouses.

Unlike bluebirds or wrens that seek out cavities, cardinals are open-cup nesters that prefer the breezy security of a dense thicket or a sturdy evergreen branch. They thrive in the hidden forks of shrubs and small trees where they have a clear view of approaching threats while remaining tucked away under a canopy of leaves.

If you see a pair lingering around a wooden house like the one in your photo, they are almost certainly just treating it as a convenient snack bar rather than a nursery. To truly encourage a brood to settle in your yard, you are better off providing thick cover like dogwoods or hollies which offer the structural support and privacy they crave for their nests.

A typical Cardinal nest looks like this.