WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 66% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 46% in its quietest week (early November).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of July. Here all year. Peak: on about 66% of Oklahoma 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. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 48% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 50% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 50% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 51% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 56% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 59% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 59% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 60% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 60% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 62% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 60% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 64% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 62% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 62% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 60% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 62% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 65% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 65% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 65% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 64% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 66% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 66% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 65% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 64% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 68% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 65% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 65% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 62% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 63% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 59% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 54% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 53% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 50% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 51% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 51% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 50% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 50% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 47% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 46% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 47% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 44% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 45% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 48% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 50% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 52% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 52% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 53% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 54% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adair CountyBest late January · 14 checklists that week, 616 in all97%
  2. Logan CountyBest early July · 100 checklists that week, 5,258 in all95%
  3. Johnston CountyBest early June · 79 checklists that week, 4,464 in all92%
  4. Pawnee CountyBest early May · 21 checklists that week, 948 in all90%
  5. Choctaw CountyBest late March · 21 checklists that week, 844 in all87%
  6. Pushmataha CountyBest late May · 49 checklists that week, 361 in all87%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln ParkOklahoma County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 818 in all100%
  2. Bluff Creek Park(West)Oklahoma County, best late March · 27 checklists that week, 692 in all98%
  3. Upper Dog PondAlfalfa County, best late April · 49 checklists that week, 783 in all98%
  4. Mitch ParkOklahoma County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 410 in all98%
  5. Couch Park & Sports ComplexPayne County, best the second week of May · 68 checklists that week, 524 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (75% of those checklists).

0%25%50%75%100%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 81% of 8353 checklists7 am: 73% of 24509 checklists8 am: 69% of 27848 checklists9 am: 61% of 25316 checklists10 am: 55% of 21161 checklists11 am: 52% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 49% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 48% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 47% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 48% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 49% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 51% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 55% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 58% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January48%50%50%51%
February56%59%59%60%
March60%62%60%64%
April62%62%60%62%
May65%65%65%64%
June66%66%65%64%
July68%65%65%62%
August63%59%54%53%
September50%51%51%50%
October50%47%46%47%
November44%45%48%50%
December52%52%53%54%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late April
  • Nebraska: year-round, peaks early May

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Oklahoma?
The Northern Cardinal is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 66% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 46% in its quietest week (early November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Oklahoma?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Oklahoma: it is reported all year, from 46% of checklists in early November to 66% in the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Oklahoma?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 66% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Adair County, Logan County, and Johnston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).