When do cardinals leave Illinois?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Illinois: it is reported all year, from 46% of checklists in mid November to 65% in the second week of May.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Illinois?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 65% of Illinois checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Illinois?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 46% in its quietest week (mid November).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May

Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 65% of Illinois checklists.

Jancommon
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 Illinois, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	May 8-14	–	65%

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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Massac CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 1,916 in all97%
Richland CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 580 in all96%
Monroe CountyBest mid January · 40 checklists that week, 2,547 in all92%
Edwards CountyBest mid August · 11 checklists that week, 797 in all91%
Knox CountyBest late January · 127 checklists that week, 6,781 in all88%
McDonough CountyBest the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 1,858 in all87%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Illinois

7 species are reported regularly: 1 stay all year, 5 are summer visitors, and 1 mostly pass through.

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	May 8-14	65%
2	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	Jul 1-7	36%
3	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	28%
4	Dickcissel	Summer visitor	May 1-7	Jun 22-30	14%
5	Scarlet Tanager	Passes through	Apr 22-30	May 15-21	12%
6	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	4.1%
7	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	Jul 22-31	3.3%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Illinois?: The Northern Cardinal is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 46% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do cardinals leave Illinois?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Illinois: it is reported all year, from 46% of checklists in mid November to 65% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Illinois?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 65% of Illinois checklists.