WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Michigan?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 59% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 39% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

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

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 59% of Michigan 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. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 38% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 41% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 42% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 44% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 43% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 46% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 50% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 47% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 48% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 48% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 50% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 51% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 53% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 54% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 55% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 58% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 61% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 58% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 50% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 46% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 43% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 43% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 44% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 45% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 46% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 46% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 47% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 47% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 46% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 44% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 44% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 44% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 45% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 44% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 44% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 42% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 41% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 39% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 40% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 39% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 39% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 38% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 40% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 41% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 42% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 42% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Van Buren CountyBest the second week of May · 590 checklists that week, 14,183 in all78%
  2. Kalamazoo CountyBest early May · 1879 checklists that week, 48,773 in all76%
  3. Ingham CountyBest the second week of May · 2169 checklists that week, 51,223 in all76%
  4. Genesee CountyBest early May · 1120 checklists that week, 29,698 in all75%
  5. Ogemaw CountyBest the second week of September · 88 checklists that week, 4,675 in all74%
  6. Kent CountyBest the second week of May · 4535 checklists that week, 96,810 in all74%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mud Lake (Metcalf Lake)Barry County, best late November · 31 checklists that week, 271 in all100%
  2. Sunfish LakeKent County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 405 in all100%
  3. Plaster Creek TrailKent County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 1,094 in all100%
  4. Hawk Valley FarmsEaton County, best early March · 24 checklists that week, 718 in all100%
  5. Revere ParkMidland County, best mid December · 43 checklists that week, 309 in all100%
  6. Woodland HillsOakland County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 398 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (61% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 60% of 39298 checklists7 am: 61% of 120344 checklists8 am: 58% of 180109 checklists9 am: 53% of 171966 checklists10 am: 47% of 156332 checklists11 am: 43% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 41% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 40% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 39% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 39% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 40% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 43% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 46% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 46% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January38%41%42%44%
February43%46%50%47%
March48%48%50%51%
April53%54%55%58%
May61%58%50%46%
June43%43%44%45%
July46%46%47%47%
August46%44%44%44%
September45%45%44%44%
October42%41%39%40%
November39%39%39%38%
December40%41%42%42%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks late April
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early May

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Michigan?
The Northern Cardinal is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 59% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 39% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Michigan?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Michigan: it is reported all year, from 39% of checklists in mid November to 59% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Michigan?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 59% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Van Buren County, Kalamazoo County, and Ingham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).