WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Massachusetts?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 63% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% 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 63% of Massachusetts checklists.

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

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 35% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 36% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 37% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 38% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 44% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 46% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 47% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 48% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 50% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 52% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 54% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 58% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 60% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 64% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 65% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 61% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 60% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 57% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 54% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 52% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 51% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 52% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 51% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 51% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 50% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 48% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 46% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 43% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 40% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 39% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 39% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 40% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 41% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 42% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 44% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 43% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 44% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 43% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 41% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 40% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 40% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 39% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 40% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 40% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 43% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 40% of 44323 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Norfolk CountyBest late April · 3973 checklists that week, 114,756 in all72%
  2. Middlesex CountyBest late April · 11474 checklists that week, 307,511 in all71%
  3. Hampshire CountyBest early May · 6139 checklists that week, 162,423 in all70%
  4. Hampden CountyBest early May · 1213 checklists that week, 35,410 in all67%
  5. Bristol CountyBest early May · 2041 checklists that week, 65,262 in all65%
  6. Plymouth CountyBest late April · 3274 checklists that week, 89,282 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nahant Thicket Wildlife SanctuaryEssex County, best the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 1,248 in all100%
  2. Cutler Park Reservation (Sawmill Brook)Norfolk County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 296 in all100%
  3. Clam PoolsBarnstable County, best early May · 26 checklists that week, 272 in all100%
  4. Long PondBarnstable County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 631 in all99%
  5. Millers River Wildlife Management AreaWorcester County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 486 in all99%
  6. Bridge Creek Conservation AreaBarnstable County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 506 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (64% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 68% of 108601 checklists7 am: 62% of 186104 checklists8 am: 57% of 185905 checklists9 am: 50% of 166049 checklists10 am: 44% of 150508 checklists11 am: 40% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 39% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 38% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 37% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 37% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 39% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 43% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 44% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) 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
January35%36%36%37%
February38%42%44%46%
March47%48%50%52%
April54%58%60%64%
May65%61%60%57%
June54%52%51%52%
July51%51%50%48%
August46%43%40%39%
September39%40%41%42%
October44%43%44%43%
November41%40%40%39%
December40%40%43%40%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Massachusetts?
The Northern Cardinal is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 63% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 36% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Massachusetts?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in the second week of January to 63% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Massachusetts?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 63% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Norfolk County, Middlesex County, and Hampshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).