WhenToBird

Cardinalis cardinalis · Cardinalidae

When Do Northern Cardinals Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

The Northern Cardinal is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 55% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 34% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 55% of Wisconsin 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. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 34% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 37% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 38% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 38% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 39% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 43% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 45% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 45% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 47% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 46% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 46% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 48% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 49% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 52% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 51% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 57% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 56% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 51% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 46% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 44% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 42% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 40% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 41% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 42% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 43% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 45% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 46% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 46% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 44% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 43% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 42% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 42% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 43% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 39% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 38% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 37% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 38% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 36% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 35% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 35% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 33% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 35% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 37% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 37% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 39% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 38% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crawford CountyBest the second week of August · 44 checklists that week, 4,271 in all79%
  2. Washington CountyBest late July · 324 checklists that week, 15,206 in all77%
  3. Langlade CountyBest early February · 52 checklists that week, 5,023 in all76%
  4. Green CountyBest mid August · 41 checklists that week, 4,387 in all76%
  5. La Crosse CountyBest early May · 752 checklists that week, 15,788 in all75%
  6. Vernon CountyBest early February · 219 checklists that week, 13,255 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Uw Arboretum (north)Dane County, best late May · 53 checklists that week, 516 in all99%
  2. Uw Arboretum (northwest)Dane County, best mid December · 62 checklists that week, 1,523 in all99%
  3. Kettle PondDane County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 377 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Northern Cardinal is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (59% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 55% of 27016 checklists6 am: 60% of 83973 checklists7 am: 57% of 160717 checklists8 am: 52% of 160531 checklists9 am: 44% of 136968 checklists10 am: 40% of 119110 checklists11 am: 37% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 36% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 36% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 36% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 37% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 40% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 43% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 44% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January34%37%38%38%
February39%43%45%45%
March47%46%46%48%
April49%52%51%53%
May57%56%51%46%
June44%42%40%41%
July42%43%45%46%
August46%44%43%42%
September42%43%39%38%
October37%38%36%35%
November35%35%33%35%
December37%37%39%38%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks early May
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Northern Cardinals arrive in Wisconsin?
The Northern Cardinal is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 55% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 34% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do Northern Cardinals leave Wisconsin?
The Northern Cardinal does not leave Wisconsin: it is reported all year, from 34% of checklists in mid November to 55% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Cardinal in Wisconsin?
The Northern Cardinal is reported most often in early May, on about 55% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Northern Cardinals seen most often?
By county, Crawford County, Washington County, and Langlade County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Cardinal (counties with at least 200 checklists).