WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Georgia?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Georgia all year. It turns up on about 80% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 57% in its quietest week (late November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 15-21mid April
Quietest weekNov 22-30late November

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 80% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  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. Decpeak season

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

0%25%50%75%100%Jan 1-7: 59% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 61% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 62% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 62% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 65% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 67% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 70% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 70% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 72% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 74% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 76% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 77% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 78% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 79% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 80% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 80% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 78% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 78% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 76% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 76% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 76% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 75% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 76% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 76% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 77% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 76% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 73% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 72% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 70% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 68% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 68% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 68% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 69% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 73% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 74% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 75% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 75% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 73% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 72% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 68% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 64% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 61% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 57% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 57% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 59% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 60% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 60% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 61% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jeff Davis CountyBest mid February · 12 checklists that week, 627 in all100%
  2. Pike CountyBest the second week of October · 14 checklists that week, 779 in all98%
  3. Coffee CountyBest the second week of August · 11 checklists that week, 977 in all97%
  4. Tattnall CountyBest late May · 11 checklists that week, 650 in all95%
  5. Bibb CountyBest the second week of April · 522 checklists that week, 19,154 in all94%
  6. Upson CountyBest the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 1,067 in all94%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cardinal LakeGwinnett County, best late December · 21 checklists that week, 1,081 in all100%
  2. Amerson River ParkBibb County, best late September · 28 checklists that week, 580 in all100%
  3. Mason Mill ParkDeKalb County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 1,438 in all100%
  4. Rockdale ParkFulton County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 518 in all100%
  5. Lake RubyBulloch County, best early May · 34 checklists that week, 314 in all100%
  6. Reed Creek Interpretive ParkColumbia County, best mid September · 24 checklists that week, 537 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (83% of those checklists).

0%25%50%75%100%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 83% of 16790 checklists7 am: 83% of 73569 checklists8 am: 81% of 104956 checklists9 am: 76% of 96241 checklists10 am: 70% of 81903 checklists11 am: 66% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 64% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 62% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 61% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 62% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 64% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 68% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 70% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 68% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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
January59%61%62%62%
February65%67%70%70%
March72%74%76%77%
April78%79%80%80%
May78%78%76%76%
June76%75%76%76%
July77%76%73%72%
August70%68%68%68%
September69%73%74%75%
October75%73%72%68%
November64%61%57%57%
December59%60%60%61%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Georgia?
The Northern Cardinal is in Georgia all year. It turns up on about 80% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 57% in its quietest week (late November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Georgia?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Georgia: it is reported all year, from 57% of checklists in late November to 80% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Georgia?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid April, on about 80% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Jeff Davis County, Pike County, and Coffee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).