When do cardinals leave Mississippi?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Mississippi: it is reported all year, from 46% of checklists in early December to 69% in the second week of April.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Mississippi?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 69% of Mississippi checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Mississippi?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 69% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 46% in its quietest week (early December).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April

Quietest weekDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 69% of Mississippi checklists.

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

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

Cardinals in Mississippi, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	Apr 8-14	–	69%

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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Wilkinson CountyBest early May · 10 checklists that week, 213 in all100%
Humphreys CountyBest late May · 17 checklists that week, 560 in all97%
Jefferson Davis CountyBest the second week of July · 12 checklists that week, 370 in all95%
Amite CountyBest early March · 11 checklists that week, 221 in all93%
Hinds CountyBest early July · 167 checklists that week, 9,842 in all92%
Jones CountyBest late August · 17 checklists that week, 816 in all92%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Mississippi

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	Apr 8-14	69%
2	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	Mar 22-31	May 1-7	30%
3	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 1-7	May 1-7	26%
4	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Apr 8-14	Apr 22-30	16%
5	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 1-7	Apr 22-30	13%
6	Scarlet Tanager	Passes through	Apr 1-7	Apr 22-30	6.6%
7	Dickcissel	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	5.3%
8	Painted Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 15-21	3.2%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Mississippi?: The Northern Cardinal is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 69% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 46% in its quietest week (early December).
When do cardinals leave Mississippi?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Mississippi: it is reported all year, from 46% of checklists in early December to 69% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Mississippi?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 69% of Mississippi checklists.