WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Maine?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 19% in its quietest week (late June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekJun 22-30late June

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 42% of Maine checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 22% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 20% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 27% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 27% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 28% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 29% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 33% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 34% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 38% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 38% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 40% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 43% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 43% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 39% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 30% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 19% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 18% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 20% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 20% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 23% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 21% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 23% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 25% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 26% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 27% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 28% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 26% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 24% of 14285 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 Maine 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 Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of May · 8112 checklists that week, 169,501 in all60%
  2. Androscoggin CountyBest the second week of May · 810 checklists that week, 16,955 in all56%
  3. York CountyBest early May · 3100 checklists that week, 101,844 in all54%
  4. Kennebec CountyBest the second week of May · 1947 checklists that week, 48,185 in all50%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of May · 1602 checklists that week, 59,429 in all50%
  6. Knox CountyBest mid April · 642 checklists that week, 34,453 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Capisic Pond ParkCumberland County, best early April · 82 checklists that week, 4,578 in all96%
  2. Pumgustuck (Royal River Reservoir)Cumberland County, best late November · 21 checklists that week, 195 in all95%
  3. Mackerel CoveCumberland County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 580 in all92%
  4. Peaks Island Wildlife Management AreaCumberland County, best late May · 32 checklists that week, 780 in all92%
  5. Riverfront ParkYork County, best early December · 30 checklists that week, 610 in all92%
  6. Blue Point HillCumberland County, best the second week of April · 27 checklists that week, 441 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (40% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 36% of 19895 checklists6 am: 41% of 54578 checklists7 am: 39% of 92775 checklists8 am: 33% of 86962 checklists9 am: 28% of 78989 checklists10 am: 24% of 70954 checklists11 am: 21% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 20% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 19% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 18% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 18% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 20% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 23% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 24% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) 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
January22%20%22%22%
February24%25%27%27%
March28%29%33%34%
April34%38%38%40%
May43%43%39%30%
June22%20%19%18%
July20%20%20%22%
August23%21%19%19%
September19%21%20%23%
October23%21%24%26%
November25%25%26%26%
December27%28%26%24%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Maine?
The Northern Cardinal is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 19% in its quietest week (late June).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Maine?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Maine: it is reported all year, from 19% of checklists in late June to 42% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Maine?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 42% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Cumberland County, Androscoggin County, and York County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).