WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Arizona?

Adult male Northern Cardinal
Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Northern Cardinal is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 24% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 15% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 15% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 15% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 18% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 22% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 24% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 23% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 23% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 23% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 22% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 19% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 16% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 16% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% of 39567 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Arizona 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Santa Cruz CountyBest mid March · 5761 checklists that week, 162,726 in all43%
  2. Pinal CountyBest late May · 722 checklists that week, 40,036 in all43%
  3. Graham CountyBest the second week of May · 372 checklists that week, 9,876 in all36%
  4. Gila CountyBest late February · 172 checklists that week, 14,834 in all31%
  5. Pima CountyBest early July · 5101 checklists that week, 437,722 in all29%
  6. Yavapai CountyBest mid April · 2511 checklists that week, 83,606 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Boyce Thompson ArboretumPinal County, best late July · 37 checklists that week, 3,778 in all97%
  2. Posta Quemada CanyonPima County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 764 in all97%
  3. Silver CreekCochise County, best mid January · 49 checklists that week, 3,612 in all96%
  4. Tonto National Forest (north 2)Maricopa County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 671 in all96%
  5. Ventana CanyonPima County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 583 in all95%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (29% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 29% of 38350 checklists6 am: 29% of 118786 checklists7 am: 27% of 183415 checklists8 am: 23% of 187346 checklists9 am: 19% of 151342 checklists10 am: 17% of 124522 checklists11 am: 15% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 14% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 14% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 14% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 14% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 14% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 14% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 15% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January15%15%15%17%
February17%18%19%21%
March22%24%24%24%
April24%24%23%23%
May23%23%22%21%
June20%20%21%21%
July22%22%22%22%
August20%19%16%16%
September15%15%15%15%
October16%16%16%15%
November15%15%16%15%
December16%17%17%17%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: summer visitor, peaks late April
  • Texas: year-round, peaks late May
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Kansas: year-round, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Arizona?
The Northern Cardinal is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Arizona?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Arizona: it is reported all year, from 15% of checklists in the second week of September to 24% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Arizona?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late March, on about 24% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Santa Cruz County, Pinal County, and Graham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).