WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in New York?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in New York all year. It turns up on about 62% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 37% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

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

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 62% of New York 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%80%Jan 1-7: 37% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 37% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 37% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 39% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 41% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 44% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 47% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 44% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 46% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 48% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 50% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 53% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 54% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 57% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 59% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 63% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 63% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 60% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 57% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 52% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 49% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 47% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 47% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 48% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 48% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 48% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 48% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 49% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 49% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 47% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 47% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 45% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 44% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 46% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 46% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 46% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 44% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 42% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 41% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 41% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 39% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 39% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 39% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 40% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 41% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 42% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 41% of 62470 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 York 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 York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest the second week of May · 7517 checklists that week, 166,009 in all76%
  2. Schenectady CountyBest early May · 494 checklists that week, 11,851 in all74%
  3. Nassau CountyBest late April · 3017 checklists that week, 95,019 in all72%
  4. Richmond CountyBest late April · 1712 checklists that week, 55,926 in all72%
  5. Rockland CountyBest late April · 1090 checklists that week, 35,579 in all72%
  6. Kings CountyBest mid April · 4448 checklists that week, 134,897 in all71%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Teatown Lake Reservation Land (Cliffdale Pond)Westchester County, best mid June · 30 checklists that week, 512 in all100%
  2. Town of Webster Land (Forest Lawn)Monroe County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 104 in all100%
  3. Elizabeth Alexandra Morton National Wildlife RefugeSuffolk County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 806 in all100%
  4. Goodhue ParkRichmond County, best the second week of July · 25 checklists that week, 702 in all100%
  5. Van KeurensDutchess County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 780 in all100%
  6. Woodlawn PreserveSchenectady County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 261 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (64% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 66% of 124869 checklists7 am: 63% of 298506 checklists8 am: 58% of 337334 checklists9 am: 52% of 307787 checklists10 am: 45% of 270801 checklists11 am: 41% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 41% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 39% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 38% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 39% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 41% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 45% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 46% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January37%37%37%39%
February41%44%47%44%
March46%48%50%53%
April54%57%59%63%
May63%60%57%52%
June49%47%47%48%
July48%48%48%49%
August49%47%47%45%
September44%46%46%46%
October44%42%41%41%
November39%39%39%39%
December40%41%42%41%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in New York?
The Northern Cardinal is in New York all year. It turns up on about 62% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 37% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Northern Cardinals leave New York?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave New York: it is reported all year, from 37% of checklists in the second week of January to 62% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in New York?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 62% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Schenectady County, and Nassau County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).