WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Florida?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of December).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 64% of Florida 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. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 35% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 37% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 39% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 41% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 47% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 49% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 51% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 53% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 53% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 55% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 56% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 60% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 62% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 63% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 65% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 64% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 64% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 63% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 62% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 61% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 58% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 58% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 59% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 59% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 60% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 58% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 58% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 56% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 53% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 54% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 54% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 56% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 57% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 59% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 60% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 61% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 61% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 61% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 59% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 54% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 47% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 42% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 37% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 35% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 36% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 36% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 36% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bradford CountyBest late July · 64 checklists that week, 3,077 in all91%
  2. Lafayette CountyBest mid May · 33 checklists that week, 1,203 in all89%
  3. Leon CountyBest mid June · 906 checklists that week, 68,576 in all89%
  4. Washington CountyBest the second week of October · 22 checklists that week, 1,773 in all88%
  5. Alachua CountyBest late April · 3685 checklists that week, 120,363 in all86%
  6. Gadsden CountyBest early April · 113 checklists that week, 3,574 in all86%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon ParkMiami-Dade County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 300 in all100%
  2. GTMNERR - Guana River SiteSt. Johns County, best early October · 26 checklists that week, 578 in all100%
  3. Bivens Rim ForestAlachua County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 292 in all100%
  4. Waverly PondLeon County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 606 in all100%
  5. Lake DestinySeminole County, best the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 1,410 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (69% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 71% of 94591 checklists7 am: 68% of 296183 checklists8 am: 63% of 319987 checklists9 am: 55% of 254830 checklists10 am: 47% of 209480 checklists11 am: 43% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 41% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 40% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 39% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 40% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 42% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 46% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 50% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January35%37%39%41%
February47%49%51%53%
March53%55%56%60%
April62%63%65%64%
May64%63%62%61%
June58%58%59%59%
July60%58%58%56%
August53%54%54%56%
September57%59%60%61%
October61%61%59%54%
November47%42%39%37%
December35%36%36%36%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Florida?
The Northern Cardinal is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 64% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of December).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Florida?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in the second week of December to 64% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Florida?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 64% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Bradford County, Lafayette County, and Leon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).