When do cardinals leave Arizona?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Arizona: it is reported all year, from 15% of checklists in the second week of September to 24% in late March.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Arizona?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late March, on about 24% of Arizona checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Arizona?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMar 22-31late March

Quietest weekSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 24% of Arizona checklists.

Jancommon
Febpeak season
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Junpeak season
Julpeak season
Augpeak season
Sepcommon
Octcommon
Novcommon
Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

Cardinals in Arizona, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	Mar 22-31	–	24%

Northern Cardinal

Share of complete checklists reporting each species, by week (4 per month). Gaps: fewer than 10 checklists that week.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Arizona that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

Where in Arizona

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Santa Cruz CountyBest mid March · 5761 checklists that week, 162,726 in all43%
Pinal CountyBest late May · 722 checklists that week, 40,036 in all43%
Graham CountyBest the second week of May · 372 checklists that week, 9,876 in all36%
Gila CountyBest late February · 172 checklists that week, 14,834 in all31%
Pima CountyBest early July · 5101 checklists that week, 437,722 in all29%
Yavapai CountyBest mid April · 2511 checklists that week, 83,606 in all29%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Arizona

11 species are reported regularly: 1 stay all year, 8 are summer visitors, 1 are winter visitors, and 1 mostly pass through.

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Black-headed Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 8-14	29%
2	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	Mar 22-31	24%
3	Western Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 15-21	24%
4	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	May 1-7	Aug 8-14	19%
5	Lazuli Bunting	Summer visitor	Jul 8-14	Aug 22-31	17%
6	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 1-7	14%
7	Pyrrhuloxia	All year, most in winter	Nov 1-7	Mar 15-21	11%
8	Hepatic Tanager	Summer visitor	Dec 1-7	May 22-31	8.1%
9	Varied Bunting	Summer visitor	May 15-21	Aug 8-14	5.3%
10	Dickcissel	Passes through	Aug 22-31	Sep 8-14	1.3%
11	Painted Bunting	Summer visitor	Jul 22-31	Aug 22-31	1.1%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Arizona?: The Northern Cardinal is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do cardinals leave Arizona?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Arizona: it is reported all year, from 15% of checklists in the second week of September to 24% in late March.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Arizona?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late March, on about 24% of Arizona checklists.