When do cardinals leave Kansas?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Kansas: it is reported all year, from 41% of checklists in early November to 64% in the second week of July.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Kansas?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 64% of Kansas checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Kansas?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 41% in its quietest week (early November).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekJul 8-14the second week of July

Quietest weekNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of July. Here all year. Peak: on about 64% of Kansas checklists.

Janpeak season
Febpeak season
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Junpeak season
Julpeak season
Augpeak season
Sepcommon
Octcommon
Novcommon
Decpeak season

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

Cardinals in Kansas, species by species

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

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Cloud CountyBest early January · 12 checklists that week, 586 in all94%
Ottawa CountyBest the second week of January · 11 checklists that week, 523 in all93%
Clay CountyBest early August · 14 checklists that week, 663 in all91%
Harvey CountyBest the second week of July · 155 checklists that week, 11,509 in all91%
Leavenworth CountyBest late May · 271 checklists that week, 9,065 in all88%
Crawford CountyBest late June · 43 checklists that week, 2,687 in all87%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Kansas

8 species are reported regularly: 1 stay all year, 5 are summer visitors, and 2 mostly pass through.

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	Jul 8-14	64%
2	Dickcissel	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	Jun 8-14	37%
3	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	Jul 8-14	35%
4	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	18%
5	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	11%
6	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	Aug 1-7	7.5%
7	Painted Bunting	Summer visitor	May 1-7	Jul 1-7	2.6%
8	Scarlet Tanager	Passes through	Apr 22-30	May 8-14	1.0%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Kansas?: The Northern Cardinal is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 41% in its quietest week (early November).
When do cardinals leave Kansas?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Kansas: it is reported all year, from 41% of checklists in early November to 64% in the second week of July.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Kansas?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 64% of Kansas checklists.