WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Vermont?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Vermont all year. It turns up on about 46% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 25% in its quietest week (early October).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekOct 1-7early October

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 46% of Vermont 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. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 30% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 31% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 33% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 34% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 34% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 37% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 39% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 39% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 40% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 39% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 39% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 40% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 41% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 42% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 44% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 45% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 48% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 46% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 42% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 34% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 34% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 34% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 34% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 36% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 36% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 36% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 36% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 33% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 25% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 26% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 24% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 26% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 24% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 24% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 26% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 27% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 26% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 27% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 29% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 32% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 32% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chittenden CountyBest the second week of May · 4738 checklists that week, 109,477 in all62%
  2. Bennington CountyBest late February · 324 checklists that week, 21,621 in all55%
  3. Rutland CountyBest early March · 700 checklists that week, 46,909 in all54%
  4. Grand Isle CountyBest the second week of May · 246 checklists that week, 8,507 in all52%
  5. Windham CountyBest late April · 1728 checklists that week, 39,105 in all51%
  6. Windsor CountyBest early March · 1250 checklists that week, 73,702 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jewett BrookBennington County, best early May · 48 checklists that week, 458 in all97%
  2. Lake RunnenedeWindsor County, best mid April · 102 checklists that week, 2,137 in all93%
  3. Roundys CoveWindham County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 331 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (50% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 48% of 10340 checklists6 am: 51% of 30951 checklists7 am: 47% of 64150 checklists8 am: 45% of 70252 checklists9 am: 37% of 55280 checklists10 am: 31% of 47111 checklists11 am: 28% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 26% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 26% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 26% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 26% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 27% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 31% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 32% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January30%31%33%34%
February34%37%39%39%
March40%39%39%40%
April41%42%44%45%
May48%46%42%37%
June34%34%32%34%
July34%36%36%36%
August36%33%29%27%
September25%26%24%26%
October24%24%26%27%
November26%27%28%29%
December31%32%32%32%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Vermont?
The Northern Cardinal is in Vermont all year. It turns up on about 46% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 25% in its quietest week (early October).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Vermont?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Vermont: it is reported all year, from 25% of checklists in early October to 46% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Vermont?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 46% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Chittenden County, Bennington County, and Rutland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).