This evening I watched a male Cardinal attack and dismember a Praying 
Mantis.  I cannot remember ever seeing a bird attack a mantis before.

I watched from inside the house as the Cardinal warily approached the 
mantis.  The mantis would flip out all of its wings and move toward the 
bird, probably trying to make itself larger than it was.  The Cardinal would 
flutter back, but kept coming in on the attack.  It ripped off one of the 
mantis's front legs and then sat for a minute with the leg in its beak, 
moving it around like it was trying to find a suitable way to swallow it.
Then I noticed the juvenile Cardinal sitting on a branch about 2 feet off 
the ground.  It was making begging noises and fluttering its wings, surely 
wanting to share it Pa's dinner.
The Cardinal resumed the attack and ripped off the other front leg, but did 
not take as long to spit it out this time.  The mantis was not dead yet as 
the Cardinal came at it again.  This time the Cardinal tore off a wing or 
two as the mantis continued to try to bite at the bird.  Finally, the 
Cardinal started attacking the body like it was trying to break it into 
pieces.  The juvenile is still begging its head off.

I was hoping to see the end result but the bird picked up the mantis and 
flew out of sight.
Jim Wilson
Queenstown