When do cardinals leave Arkansas?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Arkansas: it is reported all year, from 53% of checklists in the second week of November to 74% in mid April.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Arkansas?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid April, on about 74% of Arkansas checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Arkansas?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Arkansas all year. It turns up on about 74% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 53% in its quietest week (the second week of November).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekApr 15-21mid April

Quietest weekNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 74% of Arkansas checklists.

Janpeak season
Febpeak season
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Junpeak season
Julpeak season
Augpeak season
Seppeak season
Octpeak season
Novcommon
Decpeak season

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

Cardinals in Arkansas, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	Apr 15-21	–	74%

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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Howard CountyBest mid February · 15 checklists that week, 238 in all100%
Sevier CountyBest mid September · 13 checklists that week, 310 in all93%
Grant CountyBest the second week of December · 21 checklists that week, 1,258 in all92%
Drew CountyBest mid September · 10 checklists that week, 720 in all91%
Randolph CountyBest late April · 35 checklists that week, 588 in all89%
Izard CountyBest early August · 11 checklists that week, 788 in all88%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Arkansas

8 species are reported regularly: 1 stay all year, 6 are summer visitors, and 1 mostly pass through.

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	Apr 15-21	74%
2	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 8-14	45%
3	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 8-14	32%
4	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Apr 8-14	May 1-7	19%
5	Dickcissel	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	12%
6	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 8-14	11%
7	Painted Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	5.6%
8	Scarlet Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 22-31	5.1%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Arkansas?: The Northern Cardinal is in Arkansas all year. It turns up on about 74% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 53% in its quietest week (the second week of November).
When do cardinals leave Arkansas?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Arkansas: it is reported all year, from 53% of checklists in the second week of November to 74% in mid April.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Arkansas?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid April, on about 74% of Arkansas checklists.