<p>Adult northern cardinals are predated by <span class="taxon"><em>Felis silvestris</em></span>, <span class="taxon">Canis familiaris</span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Accipiter cooperii</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Lanius ludovicianus</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Lanius excubitor</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Sciurus carolinensis</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Asio otus</em></span> and <span class="taxon"><em>Otus asio</em></span>. Nestlings and eggs are vulnerable to predation by snakes, birds and small mammals. Egg and nestling predators include <span class="taxon">Lampropeltis doliata</span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Coluber constrictor</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Elaphe obsoleta</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Cyanocitta cristata</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Sciurus niger</em></span>, <span class="taxon"><em>Tamiasciurus hudsonicus</em></span> and <span class="taxon"><em>Tamias striatus</em></span>. <span class="taxon"><em>Molothrus ater</em></span> also remove eggs from the nest, sometimes eating them.</p>  <p>When confronted with a predator near their nest, both male and female northern cardinals will give an alarm call that is a short, chipping note, and fly toward the predator in an attempt to scare them away. They do not aggressively mob predators.<span> (Halkin and Linville, 1999)</span></p>