WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in New Jersey?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 66% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

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

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 66% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  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: 39% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 38% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 39% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 41% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 41% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 45% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 47% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 45% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 48% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 51% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 55% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 58% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 61% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 63% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 65% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 66% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 65% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 58% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 59% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 58% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 57% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 57% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 56% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 56% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 57% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 55% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 56% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 54% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 52% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 48% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 47% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 49% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 48% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 50% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 49% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 48% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 46% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 46% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 44% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 46% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 44% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 43% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 44% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 45% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 45% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 47% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 48% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 43% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer CountyBest late April · 1983 checklists that week, 56,614 in all77%
  2. Camden CountyBest late April · 977 checklists that week, 25,931 in all76%
  3. Gloucester CountyBest late April · 1347 checklists that week, 36,378 in all74%
  4. Passaic CountyBest late April · 1220 checklists that week, 24,933 in all74%
  5. Essex CountyBest late April · 1046 checklists that week, 28,396 in all74%
  6. Somerset CountyBest early May · 1995 checklists that week, 58,057 in all74%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kirkwood LakeCamden County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 552 in all99%
  2. Cape May Corridor MacrositeCape May County, best late March · 30 checklists that week, 2,246 in all98%
  3. Swimming River Natural AreaMonmouth County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 294 in all98%
  4. Bicentennial ParkMiddlesex County, best early June · 34 checklists that week, 1,318 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (70% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 74% of 50447 checklists7 am: 68% of 118312 checklists8 am: 61% of 123273 checklists9 am: 55% of 107783 checklists10 am: 49% of 97537 checklists11 am: 44% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 42% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 40% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 39% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 40% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 41% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 47% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 49% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January39%38%39%41%
February41%45%47%45%
March48%51%55%58%
April61%63%65%66%
May65%58%59%58%
June57%57%56%56%
July57%55%56%54%
August52%48%47%49%
September48%50%49%48%
October46%46%44%46%
November44%43%44%45%
December45%47%48%43%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in New Jersey?
The Northern Cardinal is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 66% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Northern Cardinals leave New Jersey?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave New Jersey: it is reported all year, from 39% of checklists in the second week of January to 66% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in New Jersey?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in late April, on about 66% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Camden County, and Gloucester County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).