WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Maryland?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 78% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 57% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 78% of Maryland 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. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 57% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 56% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 57% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 58% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 57% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 62% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 61% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 61% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 63% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 66% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 70% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 73% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 75% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 77% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 78% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 79% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 78% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 76% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 76% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 73% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 73% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 70% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 70% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 72% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 73% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 72% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 72% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 70% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 68% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 65% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 64% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 64% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 67% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 68% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 68% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 68% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 68% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 67% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 66% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 65% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 61% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 56% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 59% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 58% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 60% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 61% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 61% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 59% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montgomery CountyBest late April · 8918 checklists that week, 219,548 in all87%
  2. Prince George's CountyBest mid April · 2398 checklists that week, 87,907 in all86%
  3. Anne Arundel CountyBest late April · 3402 checklists that week, 93,516 in all84%
  4. Howard CountyBest late April · 4510 checklists that week, 118,290 in all83%
  5. Carroll CountyBest late April · 1073 checklists that week, 26,728 in all82%
  6. Frederick CountyBest mid April · 1352 checklists that week, 57,576 in all81%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putuxent River Park (Horsepen Branch)Prince George's County, best early June · 23 checklists that week, 321 in all100%
  2. Gerber KnollHoward County, best late March · 28 checklists that week, 922 in all100%
  3. Fort Foote ParkPrince George's County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 111 in all100%
  4. Brookeville (Holiday Hills)Montgomery County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 364 in all100%
  5. Villa Nova ParkBaltimore County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 637 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (81% of those checklists).

0%25%50%75%100%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 82% of 56604 checklists7 am: 81% of 139255 checklists8 am: 77% of 148626 checklists9 am: 71% of 126820 checklists10 am: 65% of 106973 checklists11 am: 60% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 59% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 59% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 58% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 59% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 61% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 64% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 65% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January57%56%57%58%
February57%62%61%61%
March63%66%70%73%
April75%77%78%79%
May78%76%76%73%
June73%70%70%72%
July73%72%72%70%
August68%65%64%64%
September67%68%68%68%
October68%67%66%65%
November61%56%59%58%
December60%61%61%59%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Maryland?
The Northern Cardinal is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 78% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 57% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Maryland?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Maryland: it is reported all year, from 57% of checklists in the second week of January to 78% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Maryland?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 78% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Anne Arundel County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).