When do cardinals leave Florida?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in the second week of December to 64% in late April.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Florida?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 64% of Florida checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Florida?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of December).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekApr 22-30late April

Quietest weekDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 64% of Florida checklists.

Jancommon
Febpeak season
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Junpeak season
Julpeak season
Augpeak season
Seppeak season
Octpeak season
Novpeak season
Deccommon

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

Cardinals in Florida, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	Apr 22-30	–	64%

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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Bradford CountyBest late July · 64 checklists that week, 3,077 in all91%
Lafayette CountyBest mid May · 33 checklists that week, 1,203 in all89%
Leon CountyBest mid June · 906 checklists that week, 68,576 in all89%
Washington CountyBest the second week of October · 22 checklists that week, 1,773 in all88%
Alachua CountyBest late April · 3685 checklists that week, 120,363 in all86%
Gadsden CountyBest early April · 113 checklists that week, 3,574 in all86%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Florida

7 species are reported regularly: 1 stay all year, 2 are summer visitors, 1 are winter visitors, and 3 mostly pass through.

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	Apr 22-30	64%
2	Indigo Bunting	Winter visitor	Sep 15-21	Oct 15-21	9.1%
3	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Mar 15-21	Sep 22-30	6.9%
4	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Sep 15-21	Oct 15-21	4.2%
5	Painted Bunting	Passes through	Apr 8-14	Apr 22-30	4.1%
6	Scarlet Tanager	Passes through	Aug 15-21	Oct 8-14	3.9%
7	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	Apr 22-30	3.0%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Florida?: The Northern Cardinal is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of December).
When do cardinals leave Florida?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in the second week of December to 64% in late April.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Florida?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 64% of Florida checklists.