When do cardinals leave Rhode Island?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Rhode Island: it is reported all year, from 28% of checklists in the second week of January to 65% in early May.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Rhode Island?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 65% of Rhode Island checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Rhode Island?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Rhode Island all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 28% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMay 1-7early May

Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 65% of Rhode Island checklists.

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

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

Cardinals in Rhode Island, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	May 1-7	–	65%

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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Bristol CountyBest late April · 419 checklists that week, 15,899 in all72%
Providence CountyBest early May · 1561 checklists that week, 40,898 in all69%
Newport CountyBest the second week of May · 1163 checklists that week, 33,574 in all63%
Kent CountyBest early May · 586 checklists that week, 16,966 in all62%
Washington CountyBest early May · 2094 checklists that week, 65,038 in all62%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Rhode Island

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

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	May 1-7	65%
2	Scarlet Tanager	Passes through	Apr 22-30	May 15-21	15%
3	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Apr 22-30	May 15-21	15%
4	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	May 1-7	May 22-31	7.7%
5	Summer Tanager	Passes through	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	1.6%
6	Dickcissel	Winter visitor	Aug 8-14	Oct 1-7	1.6%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Rhode Island?: The Northern Cardinal is in Rhode Island all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 28% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do cardinals leave Rhode Island?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Rhode Island: it is reported all year, from 28% of checklists in the second week of January to 65% in early May.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Rhode Island?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 65% of Rhode Island checklists.