When do cardinals leave South Dakota?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave South Dakota: it is reported all year, from 8.0% of checklists in mid June to 19% in the second week of May.

When is the best time to see cardinals in South Dakota?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 19% of South Dakota checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in South Dakota?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in South Dakota all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 8.0% in its quietest week (mid June).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May

Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 19% of South Dakota 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 South Dakota, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	May 8-14	–	19%

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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Clay CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 2,633 in all77%
Hughes CountyBest late August · 86 checklists that week, 3,765 in all61%
Union CountyBest late July · 20 checklists that week, 882 in all58%
Lincoln CountyBest mid July · 31 checklists that week, 2,721 in all55%
Minnehaha CountyBest late May · 409 checklists that week, 9,402 in all49%
Davison CountyBest late November · 10 checklists that week, 606 in all45%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in South Dakota

9 species are reported regularly: 1 stay all year, 6 are summer visitors, and 2 mostly pass through.

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	May 8-14	19%
2	Dickcissel	Passes through	May 15-21	Jul 1-7	17%
3	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Apr 22-30	May 15-21	13%
4	Black-headed Grosbeak	Summer visitor	May 1-7	Jun 1-7	11%
5	Western Tanager	Summer visitor	May 8-14	Jun 8-14	6.8%
6	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	May 15-21	Aug 1-7	5.8%
7	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	May 8-14	May 22-31	5.7%
8	Lazuli Bunting	Summer visitor	May 1-7	May 15-21	2.1%
9	Scarlet Tanager	Summer visitor	May 8-14	May 22-31	1.5%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in South Dakota?: The Northern Cardinal is in South Dakota all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 8.0% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do cardinals leave South Dakota?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave South Dakota: it is reported all year, from 8.0% of checklists in mid June to 19% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see cardinals in South Dakota?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 19% of South Dakota checklists.