When do cardinals leave Minnesota?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Minnesota: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in late January to 47% in the second week of May.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Minnesota?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 47% of Minnesota checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Minnesota?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 24% in its quietest week (late January).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May

Quietest weekJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 47% of Minnesota checklists.

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

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

Cardinals in Minnesota, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	May 8-14	–	47%

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Ramsey CountyBest the second week of May · 3883 checklists that week, 83,239 in all73%
Hennepin CountyBest the second week of May · 10575 checklists that week, 223,149 in all71%
Scott CountyBest the second week of June · 410 checklists that week, 23,226 in all68%
Olmsted CountyBest the second week of May · 1812 checklists that week, 30,987 in all65%
Wabasha CountyBest early February · 103 checklists that week, 6,548 in all63%
Anoka CountyBest early May · 1123 checklists that week, 28,326 in all62%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Minnesota

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	May 8-14	47%
2	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	May 15-21	26%
3	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	May 1-7	Jul 1-7	19%
4	Dickcissel	Passes through	May 22-31	Jun 22-30	9.6%
5	Scarlet Tanager	Summer visitor	May 1-7	May 22-31	7.5%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Minnesota?: The Northern Cardinal is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 24% in its quietest week (late January).
When do cardinals leave Minnesota?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Minnesota: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in late January to 47% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Minnesota?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 47% of Minnesota checklists.