When do cardinals leave Massachusetts?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in the second week of January to 63% in late April.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Massachusetts?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 63% of Massachusetts checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Massachusetts?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 63% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekApr 22-30late April

Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 63% of Massachusetts checklists.

Jancommon
Febcommon
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Junpeak season
Julpeak season
Augcommon
Sepcommon
Octcommon
Novcommon
Deccommon

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

Cardinals in Massachusetts, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	Apr 22-30	–	63%

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Norfolk CountyBest late April · 3973 checklists that week, 114,756 in all72%
Middlesex CountyBest late April · 11474 checklists that week, 307,511 in all71%
Hampshire CountyBest early May · 6139 checklists that week, 162,423 in all70%
Hampden CountyBest early May · 1213 checklists that week, 35,410 in all67%
Bristol CountyBest early May · 2041 checklists that week, 65,262 in all65%
Plymouth CountyBest late April · 3274 checklists that week, 89,282 in all65%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Massachusetts

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

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	Apr 22-30	63%
2	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	May 15-21	19%
3	Scarlet Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	May 22-31	14%
4	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	May 1-7	May 22-31	7.0%
5	Dickcissel	Passes through	Sep 1-7	Sep 22-30	1.5%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Massachusetts?: The Northern Cardinal is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 63% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do cardinals leave Massachusetts?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in the second week of January to 63% in late April.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Massachusetts?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 63% of Massachusetts checklists.