WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Mississippi?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 69% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 46% in its quietest week (early December).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 69% of Mississippi 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. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 45% of 4836 checklistsJan 8-14: 46% of 3323 checklistsJan 15-21: 47% of 3400 checklistsJan 22-31: 48% of 4705 checklistsFeb 1-7: 51% of 3387 checklistsFeb 8-14: 56% of 3911 checklistsFeb 15-21: 62% of 4691 checklistsFeb 22-28: 58% of 3409 checklistsMar 1-7: 63% of 3276 checklistsMar 8-14: 60% of 3273 checklistsMar 15-21: 63% of 3552 checklistsMar 22-31: 68% of 5618 checklistsApr 1-7: 68% of 4432 checklistsApr 8-14: 69% of 4907 checklistsApr 15-21: 71% of 5239 checklistsApr 22-30: 68% of 7043 checklistsMay 1-7: 68% of 4597 checklistsMay 8-14: 68% of 4383 checklistsMay 15-21: 63% of 3088 checklistsMay 22-31: 64% of 3805 checklistsJun 1-7: 61% of 2658 checklistsJun 8-14: 59% of 2469 checklistsJun 15-21: 64% of 2112 checklistsJun 22-30: 64% of 2534 checklistsJul 1-7: 64% of 2099 checklistsJul 8-14: 60% of 1885 checklistsJul 15-21: 58% of 1811 checklistsJul 22-31: 57% of 2793 checklistsAug 1-7: 59% of 2045 checklistsAug 8-14: 58% of 2210 checklistsAug 15-21: 54% of 2437 checklistsAug 22-31: 53% of 3415 checklistsSep 1-7: 55% of 2837 checklistsSep 8-14: 58% of 2585 checklistsSep 15-21: 60% of 2870 checklistsSep 22-30: 62% of 3610 checklistsOct 1-7: 63% of 2938 checklistsOct 8-14: 62% of 3457 checklistsOct 15-21: 58% of 3168 checklistsOct 22-31: 53% of 3752 checklistsNov 1-7: 50% of 2847 checklistsNov 8-14: 49% of 2648 checklistsNov 15-21: 46% of 2599 checklistsNov 22-30: 46% of 3389 checklistsDec 1-7: 46% of 2419 checklistsDec 8-14: 45% of 2526 checklistsDec 15-21: 47% of 2966 checklistsDec 22-31: 50% of 4466 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wilkinson CountyBest early May · 10 checklists that week, 213 in all100%
  2. Humphreys CountyBest late May · 17 checklists that week, 560 in all97%
  3. Jefferson Davis CountyBest the second week of July · 12 checklists that week, 370 in all95%
  4. Amite CountyBest early March · 11 checklists that week, 221 in all93%
  5. Hinds CountyBest early July · 167 checklists that week, 9,842 in all92%
  6. Jones CountyBest late August · 17 checklists that week, 816 in all92%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plymouth BluffLowndes County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 333 in all100%
  2. Bouie RiverForrest County, best late March · 45 checklists that week, 746 in all100%
  3. The DellLafayette County, best early April · 23 checklists that week, 431 in all99%
  4. Chain ParkForrest County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 290 in all98%
  5. Vicksburg National Military ParkWarren County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 383 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Mississippi, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (74% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (54) to judge1 am: too few checklists (48) to judge2 am: too few checklists (28) to judge3 am: too few checklists (60) to judge4 am: too few checklists (114) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1139) to judge6 am: 77% of 9054 checklists7 am: 73% of 18481 checklists8 am: 66% of 17525 checklists9 am: 59% of 15482 checklists10 am: 52% of 14380 checklists11 am: 49% of 12728 checklists12 pm: 50% of 11009 checklists1 pm: 49% of 10651 checklists2 pm: 48% of 10787 checklists3 pm: 51% of 11221 checklists4 pm: 58% of 11861 checklists5 pm: 65% of 8854 checklists6 pm: 57% of 6018 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2387) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (114) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (63) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (48) 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
January45%46%47%48%
February51%56%62%58%
March63%60%63%68%
April68%69%71%68%
May68%68%63%64%
June61%59%64%64%
July64%60%58%57%
August59%58%54%53%
September55%58%60%62%
October63%62%58%53%
November50%49%46%46%
December46%45%47%50%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks mid May
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Mississippi?
The Northern Cardinal is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 69% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 46% in its quietest week (early December).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Mississippi?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Mississippi: it is reported all year, from 46% of checklists in early December to 69% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Mississippi?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 69% of Mississippi checklists.
Where in Mississippi are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Wilkinson County, Humphreys County, and Jefferson Davis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).