WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Illinois?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 46% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 65% of Illinois 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. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 46% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 47% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 47% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 47% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 46% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 51% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 53% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 51% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 53% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 55% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 57% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 59% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 61% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 64% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 63% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 64% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 65% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 65% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 65% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 62% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 53% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 53% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 56% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 55% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 61% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 61% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 62% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 60% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 60% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 57% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 55% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 52% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 53% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 54% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 54% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 53% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 51% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 51% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 49% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 48% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 46% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 46% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 45% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 46% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 47% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 48% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 50% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 50% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Massac CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 1,916 in all97%
  2. Richland CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 580 in all96%
  3. Monroe CountyBest mid January · 40 checklists that week, 2,547 in all92%
  4. Edwards CountyBest mid August · 11 checklists that week, 797 in all91%
  5. Knox CountyBest late January · 127 checklists that week, 6,781 in all88%
  6. McDonough CountyBest the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 1,858 in all87%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Eagle Ridge ParkKendall County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 227 in all100%
  2. Hazel and Bill Rutherford's Wildlife Prairie ParkPeoria County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 570 in all100%
  3. Horseshoe Lake-Madison State Fish and Wildlife AreaMadison County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 280 in all100%
  4. Deer LakeJackson County, best mid January · 21 checklists that week, 764 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (70% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 71% of 95511 checklists7 am: 69% of 164584 checklists8 am: 64% of 163654 checklists9 am: 59% of 141804 checklists10 am: 53% of 122882 checklists11 am: 49% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 47% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 46% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 45% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 45% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 48% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 51% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 51% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January46%47%47%47%
February46%51%53%51%
March53%55%57%59%
April61%64%63%64%
May65%65%65%62%
June53%53%56%55%
July61%61%62%60%
August60%57%55%52%
September53%54%54%53%
October51%51%49%48%
November46%46%45%46%
December47%48%50%50%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: year-round, peaks late April
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early May
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks early May
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Illinois?
The Northern Cardinal is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 46% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Illinois?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Illinois: it is reported all year, from 46% of checklists in mid November to 65% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Illinois?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 65% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Massac County, Richland County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).