WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Missouri?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 77% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 57% in its quietest week (the second week of November).

When to look

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

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 77% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  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: 62% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 65% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 65% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 63% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 66% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 70% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 72% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 70% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 71% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 73% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 72% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 75% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 76% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 77% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 76% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 78% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 77% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 76% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 76% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 74% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 74% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 74% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 74% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 75% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 75% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 75% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 74% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 72% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 70% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 68% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 65% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 62% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 63% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 66% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 65% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 63% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 61% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 61% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 59% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 58% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 57% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 57% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 56% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 59% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 61% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 62% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 63% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 64% of 13142 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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Randolph CountyBest late May · 20 checklists that week, 838 in all97%
  2. Ray CountyBest the second week of May · 14 checklists that week, 323 in all97%
  3. Daviess CountyBest the second week of July · 16 checklists that week, 1,354 in all96%
  4. Ripley CountyBest the second week of November · 19 checklists that week, 1,058 in all95%
  5. Cass CountyBest early August · 149 checklists that week, 7,791 in all94%
  6. Bates CountyBest early July · 23 checklists that week, 546 in all94%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Forum Nature AreaBoone County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 1,100 in all100%
  2. Line Creek GreenwayPlatte County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 588 in all100%
  3. 3M Flat Branch-Hinkson Creek WetlandsBoone County, best mid March · 44 checklists that week, 2,233 in all100%
  4. Minor ParkJackson County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 265 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (83% of those checklists).

0%25%50%75%100%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 84% of 27231 checklists7 am: 82% of 64162 checklists8 am: 77% of 67854 checklists9 am: 72% of 56515 checklists10 am: 66% of 47496 checklists11 am: 63% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 62% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 61% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 61% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 61% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 63% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 66% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 67% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January62%65%65%63%
February66%70%72%70%
March71%73%72%75%
April76%77%76%78%
May77%76%76%74%
June74%74%74%75%
July75%75%74%72%
August70%68%65%62%
September63%66%65%63%
October61%61%59%58%
November57%57%56%59%
December61%62%63%64%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Kansas: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Missouri?
The Northern Cardinal is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 77% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 57% in its quietest week (the second week of November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Missouri?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Missouri: it is reported all year, from 57% of checklists in the second week of November to 77% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Missouri?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 77% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Randolph County, Ray County, and Daviess County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).