WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Indiana?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Indiana all year. It turns up on about 72% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 52% in its quietest week (late November).

When to look

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

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 72% of Indiana 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%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 52% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 56% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 55% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 54% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 53% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 57% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 61% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 56% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 56% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 59% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 61% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 63% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 65% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 68% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 70% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 72% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 72% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 69% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 66% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 68% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 66% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 67% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 69% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 69% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 68% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 66% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 67% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 65% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 65% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 61% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 61% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 60% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 62% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 64% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 63% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 63% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 60% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 59% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 58% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 56% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 53% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 53% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 53% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 51% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 51% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 54% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 55% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 55% of 15432 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 Indiana 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blackford CountyBest the second week of February · 26 checklists that week, 962 in all91%
  2. Switzerland CountyBest late June · 33 checklists that week, 1,318 in all90%
  3. Harrison CountyBest early July · 213 checklists that week, 12,553 in all89%
  4. Clinton CountyBest the second week of June · 15 checklists that week, 900 in all89%
  5. Brown CountyBest mid January · 63 checklists that week, 5,917 in all89%
  6. Vanderburgh CountyBest late September · 381 checklists that week, 18,940 in all88%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oubache Trails ParkKnox County, best late April · 36 checklists that week, 270 in all100%
  2. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best mid February · 28 checklists that week, 919 in all100%
  3. Metea ParkAllen County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 380 in all100%
  4. Muncie Nature PreserveDelaware County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 125 in all100%
  5. Shoup - Parsons Swamp WoodsElkhart County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 840 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (77% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 77% of 20589 checklists7 am: 77% of 58470 checklists8 am: 74% of 86931 checklists9 am: 69% of 78239 checklists10 am: 61% of 66080 checklists11 am: 57% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 54% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 53% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 53% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 53% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 55% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 56% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 59% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 57% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January52%56%55%54%
February53%57%61%56%
March56%59%61%63%
April65%68%70%72%
May72%69%66%68%
June66%67%69%69%
July68%66%67%65%
August65%61%61%60%
September62%64%63%63%
October60%59%58%56%
November53%53%53%51%
December51%54%55%55%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Ohio: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks early May

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Indiana?
The Northern Cardinal is in Indiana all year. It turns up on about 72% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 52% in its quietest week (late November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Indiana?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Indiana: it is reported all year, from 52% of checklists in late November to 72% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Indiana?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 72% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Blackford County, Switzerland County, and Harrison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).