WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Ohio?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Ohio all year. It turns up on about 73% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 49% in its quietest week (late November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 15-21mid April
Quietest weekNov 22-30late November

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 73% of Ohio 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: 47% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 50% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 51% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 51% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 51% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 57% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 59% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 56% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 58% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 61% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 62% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 65% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 68% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 71% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 73% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 74% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 68% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 63% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 66% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 69% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 67% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 68% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 69% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 68% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 68% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 68% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 67% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 66% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 64% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 62% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 60% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 57% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 58% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 59% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 60% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 59% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 57% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 56% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 55% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 53% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 50% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 50% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 48% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 48% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 49% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 50% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 54% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 53% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clermont CountyBest the second week of July · 478 checklists that week, 32,494 in all91%
  2. Miami CountyBest the second week of April · 366 checklists that week, 12,280 in all90%
  3. Gallia CountyBest late June · 18 checklists that week, 1,061 in all88%
  4. Mahoning CountyBest late April · 646 checklists that week, 14,421 in all85%
  5. Monroe CountyBest mid March · 20 checklists that week, 1,141 in all85%
  6. Portage CountyBest early July · 386 checklists that week, 27,633 in all85%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Fork State Park (Kain Run)Clermont County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 738 in all100%
  2. Grand River Wildlife AreaTrumbull County, best early January · 33 checklists that week, 1,401 in all100%
  3. Hoover Reservoir Park (south 2)Delaware County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 1,072 in all100%
  4. Hoover Community Rec ComplexStark County, best mid March · 30 checklists that week, 1,912 in all100%
  5. Grant ParkMontgomery County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 751 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (77% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 79% of 43093 checklists7 am: 76% of 142017 checklists8 am: 71% of 205296 checklists9 am: 66% of 196322 checklists10 am: 61% of 170882 checklists11 am: 57% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 54% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 52% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 51% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 52% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 53% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 56% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 60% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 59% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January47%50%51%51%
February51%57%59%56%
March58%61%62%65%
April68%71%73%74%
May68%63%66%69%
June67%68%69%68%
July68%68%67%66%
August64%62%60%57%
September58%59%60%59%
October57%56%55%53%
November50%50%48%48%
December49%50%54%53%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Ohio?
The Northern Cardinal is in Ohio all year. It turns up on about 73% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 49% in its quietest week (late November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Ohio?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Ohio: it is reported all year, from 49% of checklists in late November to 73% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Ohio?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid April, on about 73% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Clermont County, Miami County, and Gallia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).