When do cardinals leave Missouri?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Missouri: it is reported all year, from 57% of checklists in the second week of November to 77% in late April.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Missouri?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 77% of Missouri checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Missouri?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 77% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 57% in its quietest week (the second week of November).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekApr 22-30late April

Quietest weekNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 77% of Missouri checklists.

Janpeak season
Febpeak season
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Junpeak season
Julpeak season
Augpeak season
Seppeak season
Octpeak season
Novpeak season
Decpeak season

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

Cardinals in Missouri, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	Apr 22-30	–	77%

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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Randolph CountyBest late May · 20 checklists that week, 838 in all97%
Ray CountyBest the second week of May · 14 checklists that week, 323 in all97%
Daviess CountyBest the second week of July · 16 checklists that week, 1,354 in all96%
Ripley CountyBest the second week of November · 19 checklists that week, 1,058 in all95%
Cass CountyBest early August · 149 checklists that week, 7,791 in all94%
Bates CountyBest early July · 23 checklists that week, 546 in all94%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Missouri

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	Apr 22-30	77%
2	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 15-21	45%
3	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	23%
4	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Apr 15-21	May 1-7	21%
5	Dickcissel	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	Jun 22-30	15%
6	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	Jul 22-31	8.2%
7	Scarlet Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	5.9%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Missouri?: The Northern Cardinal is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 77% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 57% in its quietest week (the second week of November).
When do cardinals leave Missouri?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Missouri: it is reported all year, from 57% of checklists in the second week of November to 77% in late April.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Missouri?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 77% of Missouri checklists.