WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Minnesota?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 24% in its quietest week (late January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 47% of Minnesota checklists.

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

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 25% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 24% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 24% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 26% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 31% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 40% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 41% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 43% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 42% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 42% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 48% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 48% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 43% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 37% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 35% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 36% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 36% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 37% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 39% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 37% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 36% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 35% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 35% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 36% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 34% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 33% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 29% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 29% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 28% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 29% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 28% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 29% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 28% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ramsey CountyBest the second week of May · 3883 checklists that week, 83,239 in all73%
  2. Hennepin CountyBest the second week of May · 10575 checklists that week, 223,149 in all71%
  3. Scott CountyBest the second week of June · 410 checklists that week, 23,226 in all68%
  4. Olmsted CountyBest the second week of May · 1812 checklists that week, 30,987 in all65%
  5. Wabasha CountyBest early February · 103 checklists that week, 6,548 in all63%
  6. Anoka CountyBest early May · 1123 checklists that week, 28,326 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gables LakeWashington County, best early June · 20 checklists that week, 1,181 in all100%
  2. Oakdale Nature Preserve ParkWashington County, best mid July · 21 checklists that week, 2,380 in all99%
  3. Battle Creek Regional Park (west)Ramsey County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 720 in all98%
  4. Pamela ParkHennepin County, best late April · 39 checklists that week, 706 in all98%
  5. Friendly Marsh ParkDakota County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 564 in all97%
  6. Indian Hills ParkAnoka County, best early May · 26 checklists that week, 371 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (48% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 51% of 35775 checklists7 am: 47% of 90565 checklists8 am: 43% of 110612 checklists9 am: 38% of 106128 checklists10 am: 34% of 96131 checklists11 am: 30% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 28% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 28% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 27% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 28% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 31% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 35% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 38% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 37% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January25%24%24%24%
February24%26%29%31%
March35%40%41%41%
April43%43%42%42%
May48%48%43%37%
June37%35%35%36%
July36%37%39%37%
August36%35%35%36%
September34%33%29%29%
October29%28%29%25%
November25%28%29%28%
December29%29%29%28%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early May
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • North Dakota: summer visitor, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Minnesota?
The Northern Cardinal is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 24% in its quietest week (late January).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Minnesota?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Minnesota: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in late January to 47% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Minnesota?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 47% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Ramsey County, Hennepin County, and Scott County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).