WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Hawaii?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Hawaii all year. It turns up on about 36% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 20% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 36% of Hawaii checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 30% of 5223 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 4322 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 4791 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 6113 checklistsFeb 1-7: 26% of 4916 checklistsFeb 8-14: 30% of 4778 checklistsFeb 15-21: 33% of 5119 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 5246 checklistsMar 1-7: 31% of 4356 checklistsMar 8-14: 33% of 4127 checklistsMar 15-21: 33% of 4584 checklistsMar 22-31: 34% of 5941 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 3596 checklistsApr 8-14: 32% of 3301 checklistsApr 15-21: 33% of 3268 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 3732 checklistsMay 1-7: 35% of 2628 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 3151 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 2566 checklistsMay 22-31: 34% of 4054 checklistsJun 1-7: 36% of 2703 checklistsJun 8-14: 32% of 2731 checklistsJun 15-21: 34% of 2826 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 3671 checklistsJul 1-7: 33% of 2692 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 2734 checklistsJul 15-21: 28% of 2412 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 3581 checklistsAug 1-7: 26% of 2426 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 2669 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 2605 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 3159 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 2502 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 2975 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 3090 checklistsSep 22-30: 21% of 3424 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 2897 checklistsOct 8-14: 22% of 3420 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 3802 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 4531 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 3215 checklistsNov 8-14: 21% of 3704 checklistsNov 15-21: 21% of 3216 checklistsNov 22-30: 23% of 4153 checklistsDec 1-7: 24% of 3627 checklistsDec 8-14: 24% of 3710 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 3731 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% of 6597 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hawaii CountyBest late May · 1640 checklists that week, 75,146 in all41%
  2. Kauai CountyBest the second week of May · 576 checklists that week, 32,543 in all41%
  3. Maui CountyBest the second week of June · 333 checklists that week, 22,729 in all33%
  4. Honolulu CountyBest late May · 1189 checklists that week, 47,705 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pearl Harbor National Wildlife RefugeHonolulu County, best late May · 35 checklists that week, 2,121 in all89%
  2. Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical ParkHawaii County, best the second week of April · 28 checklists that week, 1,861 in all88%
  3. Hawai'i Volcanoes National ParkHawaii County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 1,055 in all85%
  4. Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (southeast)Hawaii County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 549 in all81%
  5. Waiokapua BayKauai County, best late November · 53 checklists that week, 1,614 in all76%
  6. Kawai Nui Neighborhood ParkHonolulu County, best late December · 28 checklists that week, 434 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Hawaii, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (38% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (66) to judge1 am: too few checklists (53) to judge2 am: too few checklists (70) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (106) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1548) to judge6 am: 43% of 10237 checklists7 am: 35% of 17935 checklists8 am: 32% of 18565 checklists9 am: 30% of 19076 checklists10 am: 26% of 18179 checklists11 am: 22% of 15530 checklists12 pm: 20% of 13069 checklists1 pm: 22% of 12798 checklists2 pm: 24% of 12698 checklists3 pm: 26% of 12213 checklists4 pm: 28% of 10921 checklists5 pm: 27% of 9437 checklists6 pm: 24% of 4360 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (1028) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (316) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (182) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (110) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (50) 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
January30%28%29%29%
February26%30%33%30%
March31%33%33%34%
April34%32%33%32%
May35%36%37%34%
June36%32%34%32%
July33%30%28%28%
August26%24%24%20%
September21%19%19%21%
October21%22%21%21%
November20%21%21%23%
December24%24%28%27%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Hawaii?
The Northern Cardinal is in Hawaii all year. It turns up on about 36% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 20% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Hawaii?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Hawaii: it is reported all year, from 20% of checklists in the second week of September to 36% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Hawaii?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 36% of Hawaii checklists.
Where in Hawaii are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Hawaii County, Kauai County, and Maui County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).