WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Delaware?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Delaware all year. It turns up on about 67% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 41% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 15-21mid April
Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 67% of Delaware checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 41% of 5901 checklistsJan 8-14: 41% of 4091 checklistsJan 15-21: 42% of 3841 checklistsJan 22-31: 42% of 5084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 43% of 3705 checklistsFeb 8-14: 48% of 3991 checklistsFeb 15-21: 47% of 6056 checklistsFeb 22-28: 47% of 4036 checklistsMar 1-7: 49% of 3822 checklistsMar 8-14: 53% of 3873 checklistsMar 15-21: 56% of 3856 checklistsMar 22-31: 59% of 5702 checklistsApr 1-7: 65% of 4104 checklistsApr 8-14: 66% of 4456 checklistsApr 15-21: 67% of 4871 checklistsApr 22-30: 68% of 7249 checklistsMay 1-7: 66% of 6806 checklistsMay 8-14: 61% of 7229 checklistsMay 15-21: 55% of 6466 checklistsMay 22-31: 55% of 7437 checklistsJun 1-7: 59% of 3596 checklistsJun 8-14: 60% of 2847 checklistsJun 15-21: 58% of 2901 checklistsJun 22-30: 57% of 3644 checklistsJul 1-7: 56% of 3142 checklistsJul 8-14: 55% of 2767 checklistsJul 15-21: 53% of 2882 checklistsJul 22-31: 53% of 4175 checklistsAug 1-7: 51% of 3482 checklistsAug 8-14: 45% of 3477 checklistsAug 15-21: 46% of 3386 checklistsAug 22-31: 50% of 5028 checklistsSep 1-7: 55% of 3631 checklistsSep 8-14: 57% of 3507 checklistsSep 15-21: 56% of 3404 checklistsSep 22-30: 56% of 4252 checklistsOct 1-7: 56% of 3563 checklistsOct 8-14: 56% of 3440 checklistsOct 15-21: 53% of 3282 checklistsOct 22-31: 51% of 4025 checklistsNov 1-7: 47% of 3030 checklistsNov 8-14: 43% of 3141 checklistsNov 15-21: 38% of 2858 checklistsNov 22-30: 42% of 4104 checklistsDec 1-7: 45% of 2472 checklistsDec 8-14: 47% of 2415 checklistsDec 15-21: 49% of 3306 checklistsDec 22-31: 42% of 5527 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 Delaware 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 Delaware

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Castle CountyBest mid April · 1979 checklists that week, 72,140 in all81%
  2. Sussex CountyBest mid April · 2160 checklists that week, 91,027 in all60%
  3. Kent CountyBest the second week of April · 746 checklists that week, 36,693 in all51%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Killens Pond State ParkKent County, best early June · 23 checklists that week, 587 in all100%
  2. Carousel ParkNew Castle County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 793 in all100%
  3. Middle Run Valley ParkNew Castle County, best the second week of April · 41 checklists that week, 2,212 in all99%
  4. C&D Canal Conservation Area (Crystal Run)New Castle County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 116 in all98%
  5. Abbotts Mill Nature CenterSussex County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 346 in all98%
  6. White Clay Creek State Park (Lamborn Run)New Castle County, best mid April · 40 checklists that week, 444 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Delaware, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (72% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (129) to judge1 am: too few checklists (122) to judge2 am: too few checklists (102) to judge3 am: too few checklists (114) to judge4 am: too few checklists (210) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1334) to judge6 am: 74% of 8055 checklists7 am: 72% of 21367 checklists8 am: 66% of 25648 checklists9 am: 56% of 22669 checklists10 am: 50% of 20679 checklists11 am: 45% of 17516 checklists12 pm: 43% of 15361 checklists1 pm: 42% of 14319 checklists2 pm: 41% of 13726 checklists3 pm: 42% of 12793 checklists4 pm: 45% of 10392 checklists5 pm: 49% of 6859 checklists6 pm: 52% of 4542 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2633) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (831) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (211) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (150) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (98) 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
January41%41%42%42%
February43%48%47%47%
March49%53%56%59%
April65%66%67%68%
May66%61%55%55%
June59%60%58%57%
July56%55%53%53%
August51%45%46%50%
September55%57%56%56%
October56%56%53%51%
November47%43%38%42%
December45%47%49%42%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Delaware?
The Northern Cardinal is in Delaware all year. It turns up on about 67% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 41% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Delaware?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Delaware: it is reported all year, from 41% of checklists in mid November to 67% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Delaware?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid April, on about 67% of Delaware checklists.
Where in Delaware are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, New Castle County, Sussex County, and Kent County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).