WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Nebraska?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 50% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 30% in its quietest week (the second week of November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 50% of Nebraska 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. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 36% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 37% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 36% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 36% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 46% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 42% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 40% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 38% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 36% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 38% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 41% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 42% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 45% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 48% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 51% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 52% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 45% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 40% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 39% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 33% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 38% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 43% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 42% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 41% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 44% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 41% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 41% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 36% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 39% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 36% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 35% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 31% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 30% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 30% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 31% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 28% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 30% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 32% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 33% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 33% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 36% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Otoe CountyBest mid December · 52 checklists that week, 3,856 in all88%
  2. Saline CountyBest late June · 16 checklists that week, 724 in all79%
  3. Cass CountyBest mid April · 114 checklists that week, 4,466 in all78%
  4. Richardson CountyBest late July · 12 checklists that week, 788 in all77%
  5. Gage CountyBest the second week of April · 37 checklists that week, 1,579 in all76%
  6. Nemaha CountyBest the second week of February · 15 checklists that week, 883 in all74%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer ParkDouglas County, best late August · 35 checklists that week, 696 in all100%
  2. Tierra/BriarhurstLancaster County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 210 in all98%
  3. Wilderness Park (Beal Slough)Lancaster County, best mid May · 33 checklists that week, 217 in all98%
  4. Wilderness Park (Cardwell Branch)Lancaster County, best early May · 34 checklists that week, 189 in all97%
  5. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (west)Sarpy County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 168 in all97%
  6. Wilderness Park (south)Lancaster County, best early May · 46 checklists that week, 425 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (54% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 52% of 6945 checklists7 am: 55% of 19066 checklists8 am: 51% of 24661 checklists9 am: 44% of 23438 checklists10 am: 38% of 20424 checklists11 am: 34% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 32% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 30% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 30% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 30% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 32% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 34% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 39% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 38% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January36%37%36%36%
February36%42%46%42%
March40%38%36%38%
April41%42%45%48%
May51%52%45%40%
June39%35%33%38%
July43%42%41%44%
August41%41%36%39%
September36%35%31%30%
October30%31%29%30%
November31%28%30%32%
December33%31%33%36%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late April

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Nebraska?
The Northern Cardinal is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 50% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 30% in its quietest week (the second week of November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Nebraska?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Nebraska: it is reported all year, from 30% of checklists in the second week of November to 50% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Nebraska?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 50% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Otoe County, Saline County, and Cass County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).