WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Louisiana?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 70% of checklists at its peak (mid May) and on 51% in its quietest week (early November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 15-21mid May
Quietest weekNov 1-7early November

Best: mid May. Here all year. Peak: on about 70% of Louisiana 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: 55% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 54% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 56% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 56% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 61% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 61% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 64% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 63% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 66% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 67% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 66% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 69% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 69% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 67% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 64% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 65% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 68% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 69% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 70% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 69% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 69% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 69% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 70% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 69% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 70% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 66% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 68% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 66% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 66% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 66% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 66% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 65% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 65% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 64% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 65% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 65% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 65% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 62% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 60% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 50% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 50% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 53% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 53% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 52% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 54% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 53% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 54% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 55% of 9940 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Allen ParishBest mid June · 12 checklists that week, 466 in all100%
  2. La Salle ParishBest mid July · 16 checklists that week, 847 in all98%
  3. Webster ParishBest mid June · 11 checklists that week, 418 in all97%
  4. East Feliciana ParishBest mid March · 28 checklists that week, 1,037 in all96%
  5. West Feliciana ParishBest mid July · 29 checklists that week, 2,336 in all95%
  6. East Carroll ParishBest mid April · 16 checklists that week, 317 in all93%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Flonacher Road ParkEast Baton Rouge Parish, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 793 in all100%
  2. Lake VillarsAscension Parish, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 234 in all100%
  3. Lsu Research Station (University Lake)East Baton Rouge Parish, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 426 in all100%
  4. Bluebonnet Swamp Nature CenterEast Baton Rouge Parish, best early March · 44 checklists that week, 1,310 in all100%
  5. City Park LakeEast Baton Rouge Parish, best the second week of January · 27 checklists that week, 1,057 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (79% of those checklists).

0%25%50%75%100%12 am: too few checklists (110) to judge1 am: too few checklists (95) to judge2 am: too few checklists (78) to judge3 am: too few checklists (145) to judge4 am: too few checklists (266) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2981) to judge6 am: 81% of 21115 checklists7 am: 78% of 38843 checklists8 am: 72% of 36306 checklists9 am: 63% of 31934 checklists10 am: 56% of 27208 checklists11 am: 53% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 52% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 50% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 51% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 52% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 54% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 58% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 60% of 8080 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3798) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (676) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (311) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (206) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (93) 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
January55%54%56%56%
February61%61%64%63%
March66%67%66%69%
April69%67%64%65%
May68%69%70%69%
June69%69%70%69%
July70%66%68%66%
August66%66%66%65%
September65%64%65%65%
October65%62%60%50%
November50%53%53%52%
December54%53%54%55%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Texas: year-round, peaks late May
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Louisiana?
The Northern Cardinal is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 70% of checklists at its peak (mid May) and on 51% in its quietest week (early November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Louisiana?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Louisiana: it is reported all year, from 51% of checklists in early November to 70% in mid May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Louisiana?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid May, on about 70% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Allen Parish, La Salle Parish, and Webster Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).