Best Time to See Cardinals in the US
April, May and March is the best time to see cardinals in the United States. This is a national picture built from 306,507 verified iNaturalist observations across 46 states, showing when and where cardinals are most active.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
306,507 verified observations of cardinals in the US, recorded across 12 months of the year on iNaturalist.
When cardinals are recorded in the US
Peak month
April
55,639 records (18.2% of the year)
| Month | Observations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 30,805 | 10.1% |
| February | 30,154 | 9.8% |
| Marchpeak | 36,114 | 11.8% |
| Aprilpeak | 55,639 | 18.2% |
| Maypeak | 38,363 | 12.5% |
| June | 22,573 | 7.4% |
| July | 17,846 | 5.8% |
| August | 13,795 | 4.5% |
| September | 12,761 | 4.2% |
| October | 13,432 | 4.4% |
| November | 14,246 | 4.6% |
| December | 20,779 | 6.8% |
Cardinals you are most likely to see
| Species | Verified observations |
|---|---|
| Northern Cardinal | 306,500 |
Across the country, cardinals sightings peak in April, when 55,639 of the 306,507 annual observations are logged, about 18.2% of the national total. Nationwide activity stays high through April, May and March.
The best states to see cardinals by recorded sightings are Texas (78,164), Florida (19,792), Virginia (15,938), New York (14,609) and Pennsylvania (14,046). Each state page below breaks the year down month by month for that state.
The cardinals you are most likely to encounter nationwide are Northern Cardinal, the most-recorded species across all states combined.
Best states to see cardinals
- cardinals in Texas78,164 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Florida19,792 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Virginia15,938 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in New York14,609 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Pennsylvania14,046 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in North Carolina13,566 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Illinois13,125 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Maryland12,563 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Ohio12,348 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Massachusetts11,107 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in South Carolina10,429 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Tennessee8,441 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Georgia6,718 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in New Jersey6,202 sightings, peak April
- cardinals in Alabama5,865 sightings, peak April
Most-recorded cardinals species nationwide
- Northern Cardinal306,500 records
Gear to see them
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see cardinals in the US?+
April is the single best month nationwide, with the broader peak running through April, May and March, based on 306,507 verified observations across 46 states.
Which states are best for seeing cardinals?+
By recorded sightings, the top states are Texas, Florida and Virginia. Texas leads with 78,164 verified observations.
How many cardinals sightings are recorded in the US each year?+
About 306,507 verified cardinals observations are logged on iNaturalist across 46 states with enough data to chart a seasonal pattern.
What kinds of cardinals live in the US?+
The most-recorded species nationwide are Northern Cardinal, based on all-time iNaturalist counts.
Full cardinals guides by state