WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Rhode Island?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Rhode Island all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 28% 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 65% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  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: 27% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 31% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 37% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 39% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 38% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 39% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 43% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 47% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 48% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 52% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 56% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 58% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 64% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 67% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 64% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 61% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 55% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 52% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 47% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 48% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 43% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 45% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 42% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 41% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 40% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 38% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 34% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 32% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 33% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 32% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 34% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 34% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 40% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 43% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 44% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 44% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 38% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 36% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 37% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 37% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 34% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 39% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 36% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bristol CountyBest late April · 419 checklists that week, 15,899 in all72%
  2. Providence CountyBest early May · 1561 checklists that week, 40,898 in all69%
  3. Newport CountyBest the second week of May · 1163 checklists that week, 33,574 in all63%
  4. Kent CountyBest early May · 586 checklists that week, 16,966 in all62%
  5. Washington CountyBest early May · 2094 checklists that week, 65,038 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Barden ReservoirProvidence County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 376 in all99%
  2. Branch RiverProvidence County, best mid May · 24 checklists that week, 526 in all97%
  3. Claire D. McIntosh RefugeBristol County, best late March · 33 checklists that week, 699 in all97%
  4. Touisset Marsh Wildlife RefugeBristol County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 460 in all94%
  5. MonastaryProvidence County, best early May · 71 checklists that week, 1,474 in all94%
  6. ASRI Environmental Education CenterBristol County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 550 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (57% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 61% of 10493 checklists7 am: 56% of 17631 checklists8 am: 52% of 18834 checklists9 am: 47% of 17725 checklists10 am: 42% of 16696 checklists11 am: 38% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 35% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 34% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 33% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 32% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 35% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 40% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 42% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January27%28%29%29%
February31%37%39%38%
March39%43%47%48%
April52%56%58%64%
May67%64%61%55%
June52%47%48%43%
July45%42%41%40%
August38%34%32%33%
September32%34%34%35%
October40%43%44%44%
November38%38%36%37%
December37%34%39%36%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Rhode Island?
The Northern Cardinal is in Rhode Island all year. It turns up on about 65% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 28% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Rhode Island?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Rhode Island: it is reported all year, from 28% of checklists in the second week of January to 65% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Rhode Island?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 65% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Bristol County, Providence County, and Newport County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).