WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in South Carolina?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 76% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 54% 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 76% of South Carolina 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. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 57% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 57% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 57% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 60% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 62% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 65% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 70% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 68% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 69% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 71% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 72% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 74% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 75% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 75% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 77% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 77% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 75% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 75% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 74% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 72% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 70% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 71% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 72% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 71% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 71% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 72% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 69% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 66% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 66% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 64% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 62% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 64% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 65% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 68% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 70% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 69% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 71% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 71% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 67% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 63% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 59% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 57% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 55% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 53% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 54% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 56% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 56% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 56% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Aiken CountyBest mid April · 664 checklists that week, 26,980 in all89%
  2. Union CountyBest early July · 13 checklists that week, 851 in all88%
  3. Lexington CountyBest mid April · 692 checklists that week, 27,992 in all87%
  4. Greenwood CountyBest early May · 82 checklists that week, 3,752 in all87%
  5. Clarendon CountyBest early July · 116 checklists that week, 9,189 in all87%
  6. Kershaw CountyBest late April · 370 checklists that week, 10,450 in all87%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saluda Terrace Gardens PondRichland County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 770 in all100%
  2. Bluehouse SwampCharleston County, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 501 in all100%
  3. Cowpens National BattlefieldCherokee County, best early April · 22 checklists that week, 925 in all100%
  4. Boyd PondAiken County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 927 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (80% of those checklists).

0%25%50%75%100%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 80% of 19280 checklists7 am: 81% of 66492 checklists8 am: 77% of 73941 checklists9 am: 71% of 63039 checklists10 am: 65% of 52652 checklists11 am: 60% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 57% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 58% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 57% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 58% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 60% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 64% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 66% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January57%57%57%60%
February62%65%70%68%
March69%71%72%74%
April75%75%77%77%
May75%75%74%72%
June70%71%72%71%
July71%72%69%66%
August66%64%62%64%
September65%68%70%69%
October71%71%67%63%
November59%57%55%53%
December54%56%56%56%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in South Carolina?
The Northern Cardinal is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 76% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 54% in its quietest week (late November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave South Carolina?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave South Carolina: it is reported all year, from 54% of checklists in late November to 76% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in South Carolina?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid April, on about 76% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Aiken County, Union County, and Lexington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).