When do cardinals leave Tennessee?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Tennessee: it is reported all year, from 57% of checklists in mid November to 76% in the second week of April.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Tennessee?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 76% of Tennessee checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Tennessee?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Tennessee all year. It turns up on about 76% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 57% in its quietest week (mid November).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April

Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 76% of Tennessee 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 Tennessee, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	Apr 8-14	–	76%

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Weakley CountyBest mid September · 25 checklists that week, 2,092 in all96%
Houston CountyBest late March · 31 checklists that week, 1,234 in all95%
Tipton CountyBest late November · 17 checklists that week, 1,603 in all93%
Giles CountyBest early January · 25 checklists that week, 803 in all93%
Gibson CountyBest the second week of June · 115 checklists that week, 5,705 in all91%
Union CountyBest the second week of January · 36 checklists that week, 2,525 in all91%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Tennessee

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 8-14	76%
2	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	Jul 1-7	37%
3	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 8-14	21%
4	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Sep 1-7	Oct 1-7	17%
5	Scarlet Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 1-7	15%
6	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	Aug 1-7	13%
7	Dickcissel	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	May 22-31	5.2%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Tennessee?: The Northern Cardinal is in Tennessee all year. It turns up on about 76% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 57% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do cardinals leave Tennessee?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Tennessee: it is reported all year, from 57% of checklists in mid November to 76% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Tennessee?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 76% of Tennessee checklists.