Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/7/2011

Question
I live in NJ and I have a cardinal that keeps "attacking" the mirrors & windows on my car.  I have scratch marks on the mirrors and you can see where it has picked at the windows.  I park in the driveway and if my car is not there it has done the same thing to my husbands truck.  It appears to be a female as it is not as bright as the male.
I've had to put towels over my mirrors to keep it away.  Is this a common occurrence with these birds?  Any suggestions on how to stop this behavior.  I stopped putting bird seed out and it still comes.   Thank you for whatever information you may be able to give me!

I forgot to mention, both our vehicles are white, I don't know if that would have anything to do with this.

Answer
Cardinals and many other birds are territorial and when they establish territories in the spring they become aggressive and chase off intruders. Unfortunately, they don't distinguish between their own reflection in a window (or car mirror) and try to chase that off. The solution to the problem is to eliminate the reflection. Misting the outside of the window with a very weak detergent or soda solution will eliminate the reflection but will also impair visibility for you. Awnings, eave extensions, and window screens will eliminate all reflection and stop the collision problem. Hanging ornaments such as wind chimes, wind socks, and potted plants also help. Or cover the mirrors as you have. The behavior will stop when nesting begins.