When do cardinals leave Texas?

The Northern Cardinal does not leave Texas: it is reported all year, from 44% of checklists in the second week of November to 64% in late May.

When is the best time to see cardinals in Texas?

The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late May, on about 64% of Texas checklists.

Northern Cardinal · Cardinalis cardinalis

When Do Cardinals Arrive in Texas?

Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (late May) and on 44% in its quietest week (the second week of November).

Cardinals here are the bird, not a sports team.

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMay 22-31late May

Quietest weekNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: late May. Here all year. Peak: on about 64% of Texas checklists.

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

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

Cardinals in Texas, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Northern Cardinal	all year	–	May 22-31	–	64%

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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties for Northern Cardinal

Share of checklists at the peak

Burleson CountyBest the second week of July · 78 checklists that week, 6,966 in all96%
Angelina CountyBest mid June · 166 checklists that week, 10,009 in all95%
Leon CountyBest the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 2,456 in all95%
Houston CountyBest mid June · 37 checklists that week, 2,934 in all94%
Red River CountyBest late July · 23 checklists that week, 1,179 in all94%
Washington CountyBest the second week of May · 136 checklists that week, 5,632 in all93%

All cardinals, grosbeaks & buntings in Texas

11 species are reported regularly: 1 stay all year, 7 are summer visitors, 1 are winter visitors, and 2 mostly pass through.

#	Species	Pattern	First arrivals	Peak	Peak %
1	Northern Cardinal	Year-round	all year	May 22-31	64%
2	Painted Bunting	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	Jun 1-7	24%
3	Summer Tanager	Summer visitor	Mar 22-31	Apr 22-30	21%
4	Indigo Bunting	Summer visitor	Mar 22-31	Apr 22-30	19%
5	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Passes through	Apr 8-14	Apr 22-30	11%
6	Dickcissel	Summer visitor	Apr 8-14	May 8-14	11%
7	Blue Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 1-7	May 1-7	7.6%
8	Scarlet Tanager	Passes through	Apr 1-7	Apr 22-30	6.2%
9	Pyrrhuloxia	Winter visitor	Sep 22-30	Dec 1-7	2.6%
10	Western Tanager	Summer visitor	Apr 15-21	May 8-14	1.5%
11	Black-headed Grosbeak	Summer visitor	Apr 22-30	May 8-14	1.5%

Common questions

When do cardinals arrive in Texas?: The Northern Cardinal is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (late May) and on 44% in its quietest week (the second week of November).
When do cardinals leave Texas?: The Northern Cardinal does not leave Texas: it is reported all year, from 44% of checklists in the second week of November to 64% in late May.
When is the best time to see cardinals in Texas?: The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late May, on about 64% of Texas checklists.