WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Connecticut?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 34% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

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 Connecticut checklists.

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

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 33% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 33% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 36% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 38% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 44% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 47% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 46% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 45% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 47% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 49% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 51% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 54% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 59% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 61% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 66% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 66% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 63% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 58% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 56% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 53% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 53% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 52% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 52% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 53% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 53% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 51% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 50% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 47% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 44% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 42% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 40% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 41% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 41% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 42% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 42% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 44% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 43% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 42% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 41% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 39% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 37% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 37% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 38% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 38% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 39% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 41% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 39% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Haven CountyBest late April · 5410 checklists that week, 139,721 in all69%
  2. New London CountyBest early May · 1919 checklists that week, 65,205 in all68%
  3. Fairfield CountyBest early May · 4881 checklists that week, 139,848 in all66%
  4. Hartford CountyBest late April · 3603 checklists that week, 105,735 in all63%
  5. Tolland CountyBest early May · 1600 checklists that week, 39,004 in all63%
  6. Litchfield CountyBest early May · 2259 checklists that week, 69,766 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Brooksvale StreamNew Haven County, best late July · 41 checklists that week, 167 in all100%
  2. Trout Brook ValleyFairfield County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 1,588 in all100%
  3. Nigs PondNew Haven County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 336 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (63% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 64% of 33657 checklists7 am: 63% of 62964 checklists8 am: 58% of 70645 checklists9 am: 49% of 64870 checklists10 am: 44% of 58827 checklists11 am: 40% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 39% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 39% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 39% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 39% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 44% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 50% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 48% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January33%33%36%36%
February38%44%47%46%
March45%47%49%51%
April54%59%61%66%
May66%63%58%56%
June53%53%52%52%
July53%53%51%50%
August47%44%42%40%
September41%41%42%42%
October44%43%42%41%
November39%37%37%38%
December38%39%41%39%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Connecticut?
The Northern Cardinal is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 34% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Connecticut?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Connecticut: it is reported all year, from 34% of checklists in the second week of January to 65% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Connecticut?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 65% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, New Haven County, New London County, and Fairfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).