When do cardinals leave New Hampshire?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave New Hampshire: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in early September to 47% in early May.

When is the best time to see cardinals in New Hampshire?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 47% of New Hampshire checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in New Hampshire?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in New Hampshire all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 24% in its quietest week (early September).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMay 1-7early May

Quietest weekSep 1-7early September

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 47% of New Hampshire checklists.

Jancommon
Febpeak season
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Juncommon
Julcommon
Augcommon
Sepcommon
Octcommon
Novcommon
Deccommon

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

Cardinals in New Hampshire, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	May 1-7	–	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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Strafford CountyBest the second week of May · 1595 checklists that week, 41,888 in all62%
Hillsborough CountyBest early May · 1921 checklists that week, 50,125 in all60%
Merrimack CountyBest late April · 1386 checklists that week, 36,980 in all55%
Rockingham CountyBest early May · 2815 checklists that week, 84,864 in all55%
Cheshire CountyBest early May · 1289 checklists that week, 39,834 in all50%
Belknap CountyBest the second week of May · 505 checklists that week, 13,295 in all44%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in New Hampshire

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 1-7	47%
2	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	May 15-21	20%
3	Scarlet Tanager	Summer visitor	May 1-7	May 22-31	15%
4	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	May 1-7	Jul 8-14	11%
5	Dickcissel	Passes through	Sep 8-14	Sep 22-30	1.0%

Common questions

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