WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in West Virginia?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in West Virginia all year. It turns up on about 67% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 48% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

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

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 67% of West Virginia 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. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 52% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 55% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 56% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 53% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 54% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 56% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 58% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 56% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 58% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 60% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 61% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 65% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 66% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 66% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 67% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 68% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 63% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 60% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 60% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 54% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 52% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 53% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 52% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 53% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 55% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 58% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 59% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 58% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 58% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 53% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 53% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 49% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 50% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 52% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 53% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 54% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 52% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 51% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 52% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 52% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 48% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 47% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 50% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 48% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 50% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 50% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 53% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 53% of 4236 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 West Virginia 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Doddridge CountyBest late April · 17 checklists that week, 427 in all95%
  2. Marshall CountyBest late August · 18 checklists that week, 895 in all92%
  3. Brooke CountyBest late May · 10 checklists that week, 594 in all92%
  4. Marion CountyBest mid May · 154 checklists that week, 5,628 in all91%
  5. Mineral CountyBest late March · 84 checklists that week, 2,389 in all90%
  6. Wetzel CountyBest early May · 35 checklists that week, 1,196 in all88%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fairfax Grant Farm SpringsJefferson County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 441 in all100%
  2. Ohio River Islands National Wildlife RefugeWood County, best mid June · 28 checklists that week, 1,994 in all99%
  3. McDonough Wildlife RefugeWood County, best late April · 57 checklists that week, 542 in all98%
  4. Wade SpringMonongalia County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 401 in all98%
  5. Johnson T. Janes Nature Preserve and Conservation ParkWood County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 339 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (72% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 71% of 5860 checklists7 am: 72% of 18233 checklists8 am: 68% of 24468 checklists9 am: 60% of 22542 checklists10 am: 53% of 19537 checklists11 am: 48% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 49% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 48% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 48% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 48% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 54% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 54% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 55% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 54% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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
January52%55%56%53%
February54%56%58%56%
March58%60%61%65%
April66%66%67%68%
May63%60%60%54%
June52%53%52%53%
July55%58%59%58%
August58%53%53%49%
September50%52%53%54%
October52%51%52%52%
November48%47%50%48%
December50%50%53%53%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in West Virginia?
The Northern Cardinal is in West Virginia all year. It turns up on about 67% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 48% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave West Virginia?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave West Virginia: it is reported all year, from 48% of checklists in mid November to 67% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in West Virginia?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in mid April, on about 67% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Doddridge County, Marshall County, and Brooke County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).