Distribution

In eastern North America, range extends north to southwestern Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick (143 Stewart, R. L. M., K. A. Bredin, A. R. Couturier, A. G. Horn, D. Lepage, S. Makepeace, P. D. Taylor, M. Villard, and R. M. Whittam (2015). Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces. Environment Canada, Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island, Nature New Brunswick, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia Bird Society, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Close ), south-central Quebec (144 Robert, M., M. Hachey, D. Lepage, and A. G. Couturier (Editors) (2019). The Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Southern Québec. Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, the Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment and Climate Change Canada) and Bird Studies Canada, Quebec, QC, Canada. Close ), southern Ontario (145 Cadman, M. D., D. A. Sutherland, G. G. Beck, D. Lepage, and A. R. Couturier (Editors) (2007). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario 2001–2005. Bird Studies Canada, Environment Canada, Ontario Field Ornithologists, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Nature, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Close ), southern Upper Peninsula of Michigan (146 Chartier, A. T., J. J. Baldy, and J. M. Brenneman (Editors) (2011). The Second Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, MI, USA. Close ), northern Wisconsin (147 Cutright, N. J., B. R. Harriman, and R. W. Howe (2006). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Society of Ornithology, Waukesha, WI, USA. Close ), central Minnesota (148 Pfannmuller, L., G. Niemi, J. Green, B. Sample, N. Walton, E. Zlonis, T. Brown, A. Bracey, G. Host, J. Reed, K. Rewinkel, and N. Will (2017). The First Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas (2009–2013). Close ), and sparingly to southeastern Manitoba (rare resident; 149 Artuso, C., A. R. Couturier, K. D. De Smet, R. F. Koes, D. Lepage, J. McCracken, R. D. Mooi, and P. Taylor (Editors) (2018). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Manitoba, 2010–2014. Bird Studies Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Close ). Range extends west to southeastern South Dakota (150 Peterson, R. A. (1995). The South Dakota Breeding Bird Atlas. South Dakota Ornithologists' Union, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, USA. Close ), west-central Nebraska, western Kansas, easternmost Colorado (rare and local; 151 Wickersham, L. E. (Editor) (2016). The Second Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas. Colorado Bird Atlas Partnership and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Denver, CO, USA. Close ), western Oklahoma (152 Reinking, D. L. (2004). Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, USA. Close ), and Texas, but rare in westernmost counties (153 Lockwood, M. W., and B. Freeman (2014). The Texas Ornithological Society Handbook of Texas Birds. Louise Lindsey Merrick Natural Environment Series, volume 47. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX, USA. Close ), and south to southern Florida (126 Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson (1994). The Birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Close ) and the Gulf Coast. In the southwestern United States, range includes extreme southwestern and southeastern New Mexico, central and southeastern Arizona (154 Corman, T. E., and C. Wise-Gervais (2005). Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, USA. Close ), and rarely (formerly?) southwestern Arizona (155 Rosenberg, K. V., R. D. Ohmart, W. C. Hunter, and B. W. Anderson (1991). Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, USA. Close ) and adjacent areas of southeastern California along the lower Colorado River (156 Small, A. (1994). California Birds: Their Status and Distribution. Ibis Publishing Company, Vista, California, USA. Close ).

In Mexico and northern Central America, range includes southern half of Baja California (157 Wilbur, S. R. (1987). The Birds of Baja California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, USA. Close ); Pacific slope of Mexico from Sonora to central Sinaloa, and from Colima to Oaxaca, including Tres Marías Island; Mexican interior south to Hidalgo and northeastern Jalisco, and Atlantic slope from Tamaulipas to Yucatán Peninsula, including Cozumel Island, and south to northern Guatemala and northern Belize (158 Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA. Close ).

Introduced Range

Various subspecies (cardinalis, superbus, “probably” canicaudus, and possibly other Mexican subspecies) introduced to Los Angeles County, California (near Whittier, El Monte, and Montebello, and in the city of Los Angeles; 128 Miller, A. H. (1928). The status of the Cardinal in California. Condor 30: 243–245. Close , 116 Michener, H., and J. R. Michener (1938). Rare birds at a Pasadena banding station. Condor 40: 38–40. Close , 156 Small, A. (1994). California Birds: Their Status and Distribution. Ibis Publishing Company, Vista, California, USA. Close ); as of 2020, infrequent records south to San Diego and rarely to northern Baja California (eBird). Introduced to Hawaiian Islands several times between 1929 and 1931, and now found on all main islands where common in lowlands; also found at higher elevations (159 Berger, A. J. (1972). Hawaiian Birdlife. 2nd edition. University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA. Close ). Introduced in Bermuda by early 1800s (123 Amos, E. J. R. (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Bermuda. Corncrake, Warwick, Bermuda. Close ). Reported from Swan Islands, 180 km north of Honduras, in January 1994 (eBird), and again in June 1996, with 4–10 birds noted on subsequent visits (160 Anderson, D. L., M. Bonta, and P. Thorn (1998). New and noteworthy bird records from Honduras. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 118(3): 178–183. Close ); more recently, described as resident (161 Gallardo, R. J. (2014). Guide to the Birds of Honduras. Mountain Gem Tours, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Close ). Given distance from the nearest breeding population (~450 km in Belize) and the isolation of the islands from the mainland, Anderson et al. (160 Anderson, D. L., M. Bonta, and P. Thorn (1998). New and noteworthy bird records from Honduras. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 118(3): 178–183. Close ) suspected that these birds are escapees, a view corroborated by local residents.

Likely escaped captive cardinals have been reported in various western states and provinces, including Washington (162 Mlodinow, S. G., and M. Bartels (2016). Tenth report of the Washington Bird Records Committee (2010–2013). Western Birds 47(2): 86–119. Close ) and British Columbia, but also in the United Kingdom; no evidence of established populations.

Extralimital Records

Rare in Montana with 14 documented records (through 2016) east of the Continental Divide; individuals likely arrived in the state via the Missouri River corridor (163 Marks, J. S., P. Hendricks, and D. Casey (2016). Birds of Montana. Buteo Books, Arrington, Virginia, USA. Close ). One accepted record of a vagrant in late June 2010 in southwestern Utah (Washington County) (164 O'Donnell, R. R., S. Carr, C. Fosdick, R. Bond, R. Fridell, S. Hedges, C. Neuman, R. Ryel, T. Sadler, J. J. Skalicky, M. Stackhouse, and M. Webb (2014). Rare birds of Utah: The nineteenth report of the Utah Bird Records Committee (2010–2012). Western Birds 45(2): 112–131. Close ), and at least 5 reports of vagrants (through 2000) in southernmost Nevada (165 Alcorn, J. R. (1988). The Birds of Nevada. Fairview West Publishing, Fallon, NV, USA. Close , 166 Eidel, J. (2002). Report of the Nevada Bird Records Committee for 2000. Great Basin Birds 5: 1–5. Close ).

The northern limit of the breeding range has expanded northward since at least the mid-1800s, and especially over the last 100 years. Northward expansion is likely related to 3 primary factors: warmer climate, resulting in lesser snow depth and greater winter foraging opportunities; human encroachment into forested areas, increasing suitable edge habitat; and establishment of winter feeding stations, increasing food availability. The breeding range has also expanded westward in the United States; few data are available for Mexico and northern Central America. See Demography and Populations: Population Status: Trends.

Northeast. At turn of twentieth century, common in Pennsylvania and New Jersey (167 Beddall, B. G. (1963). Range expansion of the Cardinal and other birds in the northeastern states. Wilson Bulletin 75: 140–158. Close ), but found in only two counties in southern New York (168 Bull, J. (1974). Birds of New York State. Doubleday Natural History Press, Garden City, NY, USA. Close ). Between 1940 and 1960, populations moved into New England; first nesting in Massachusetts recorded in 1958 (169 Boyd, E. M. (1962). A half-century's changes in the bird-life around Springfield, Massachusetts. Bird-Banding 33: 137–148. Close ), Vermont in 1962 (170 Laughlin, S. P., and D. P. Kibbe (1985). The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Vermont. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH, USA. Close ), and Maine in 1969 (171 Erskine, A. J. (1992). Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces. Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, NS, Canada. Close ). By 1970, resident in 59 of 62 counties in New York (168 Bull, J. (1974). Birds of New York State. Doubleday Natural History Press, Garden City, NY, USA. Close ), and by early 2000s, found throughout state but scarce in Adirondacks (172 McGowan, K. J., and K. Corwin (Editors) (2008). The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close ).

First collected in 1849 in Ontario, where the first nest for Canada was found at Pt. Pelee in 1901; by 1930, a rare resident in Toronto (173 Snyder, L. L. (1957). Changes in the avifauna of Ontario. In Changes in the Fauna of Ontario (F. A. Urquhart, Editor). University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON, Canada. pp. 26–42. Close ). Localized breeding extended north to Thunder Bay, Sault Sainte Marie, Kirkland Lake, and Ottawa by 1976 (174 Dow, D. D. (1994). The Northern Cardinal in southern Ontario. In Ornithology in Ontario (M. K. McNicholl and J. L. Cranmer-Byng, Editors), Hawk Owl Publications, Whitby, ON, Canada. pp. 291–297. Close ). Now a common breeding species in southern Ontario north to Ottawa Valley; range in Ontario has expanded further during 1980–2005 (145 Cadman, M. D., D. A. Sutherland, G. G. Beck, D. Lepage, and A. R. Couturier (Editors) (2007). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario 2001–2005. Bird Studies Canada, Environment Canada, Ontario Field Ornithologists, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Nature, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Close ). In southern Quebec, where the first nest was found in 1965 (175 Cyr, A., and J. Larivee (1995). Atlas Saisonnier des Oiseaux du Quebec. Les Presses de l'Universidad de Sherbrooke et la Societe de Loisir Ornithologique de l'Estrie, Inc., Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. Close ), the range is concentrated in the St. Lawrence Lowlands and southern Appalachians, a significant northward and eastward expansion since the mid-1980s (144 Robert, M., M. Hachey, D. Lepage, and A. G. Couturier (Editors) (2019). The Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Southern Québec. Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, the Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment and Climate Change Canada) and Bird Studies Canada, Quebec, QC, Canada. Close ). In the Maritime Provinces, there were only scattered sightings in southern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by the mid-1980s, but by 2010, it was distributed along the Bay of Fundy and southern Atlantic coasts, stretching inland, especially in the lower Saint John River valley (143 Stewart, R. L. M., K. A. Bredin, A. R. Couturier, A. G. Horn, D. Lepage, S. Makepeace, P. D. Taylor, M. Villard, and R. M. Whittam (2015). Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces. Environment Canada, Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island, Nature New Brunswick, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia Bird Society, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Close ). Rare sightings in Newfoundland from 1970 to present (W. Montevecchi, unpublished data).

Midwest. Although historically known in southern Ohio, expansion into northern Ohio began in 1830s (176 Wheaton, J. M. (1879). Report on birds of Ohio. Ohio Geological Survey, Columbus, OH, USA. Close ). First recorded in southeastern Michigan in 1884 (177 Sutton, G. M. (1959). The nesting fringillids of the Edwin S. George Reserve, southeastern Michigan (part III). Jack Pine Warbler 37: 76–101. Close ), common by 1909; colonized Upper Peninsula by 1994 (178 Granlund, J., G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams (1994). The Birds of Michigan. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, USA. Close ). In Wisconsin, rare in 1903, when limited to southern border of that state; expanded into most northern counties by the 1980s (179 Robbins, S. D., Jr. (1991). Wisconsin Birdlife: Population and Distribution, Past and Present. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Close ). First sighted in Iowa in 1906 (180 Brown, H. C. (1920). The Cardinal in north-central Iowa. Wilson Bulletin 32: 123–132. Close ). In Missouri, significant increases coincided with conversion of forest and prairie to park and residential land; numbers in some areas increased 50% from 1916 to 1970 (181 Robbins, M. B., and D. A. Easterla (1992). Birds of Missouri: Their Distribution and Abundance. University of Missouri Press, Columbia, MO, USA. Close ). Entered Minnesota in late 1800s and expanded northward and westward; by 1930, resident north to the Twin Cities; by 1960, had expanded to central (Morrison County) and western (Lac Qui Parle County) portions of the state (182 Janssen, R. B. (1987). Birds in Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Close ).

Great Plains. First reported in South Dakota in 1877, where initial expansion moved up the Missouri River; now widespread in southeast quarter of state (183 Krause, H., and S. G. Froiland (1956). Distribution of the Cardinal in South Dakota. Wilson Bulletin 68: 111–117. Close , eBird), uncommon and local in northeast, breeding in Aberdeen and Pierre (150 Peterson, R. A. (1995). The South Dakota Breeding Bird Atlas. South Dakota Ornithologists' Union, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, USA. Close ), and expanding rarely to the west (184 Baylor, L. M. (2003). Northern Cardinal, third summer at Rapid City. South Dakota Bird Notes 55(4): 96–97. Close ). In Nebraska, expanded west along both the Platte River and Niobrara River, perhaps owing to increase in riparian woody habitat (185 Ducey, J. E. (1988). Nebraska Birds: Breeding Status and Distribution. Simmons-Boardman Books, Omaha, NE, USA. Close ). Rare resident in southern Saskatchewan (186 Smith, A. R. (1996). Atlas of Saskatchewan Birds. Saskatchewan Natural History Society Special Publications 22, Regina, SK, Canada. Close , eBird), but breeding not confirmed (C. S. Houston, personal communication).

Southwest. First recorded in the 1870s in south-central Arizona (187 Monson, G., and A. R. Phillips (1964). A Check-list of the Birds of Arizona. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Close ); has since expanded west and northwest and is now common throughout central and southern Arizona, west to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and north to edge of the Mogollon Plateau (154 Corman, T. E., and C. Wise-Gervais (2005). Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, USA. Close ). Very small population along lower Colorado River valley of southeastern California (156 Small, A. (1994). California Birds: Their Status and Distribution. Ibis Publishing Company, Vista, California, USA. Close ) and adjacent southwestern Arizona (188 Monson, G. (1949). Recent notes from the lower Colorado River Valley of Arizona and California. Condor 51: 262–265. Close ), but may not persist south of the Bill Williams River because of habitat loss (155 Rosenberg, K. V., R. D. Ohmart, W. C. Hunter, and B. W. Anderson (1991). Birds of the Lower Colorado River Valley. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, USA. Close , eBird). Introduced in Los Angeles County, California, before 1923 (128 Miller, A. H. (1928). The status of the Cardinal in California. Condor 30: 243–245. Close ); small population remains (156 Small, A. (1994). California Birds: Their Status and Distribution. Ibis Publishing Company, Vista, California, USA. Close ) and appears to have expanded southward to San Diego and possibly northwestern Baja California (eBird). See also Distribution: Introduced Range and Systematics: Subspecies).

Mexico and Central America. Limited Information. Appears to be expanding from coastal Mexico into interior (189 Ramírez Albores, J. E. (2010). Presence of the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in southwestern Puebla, Mexico. Huitzil 11(1): 42–45. Close ). Resident in Swan Islands, 180 km north of Honduras (160 Anderson, D. L., M. Bonta, and P. Thorn (1998). New and noteworthy bird records from Honduras. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 118(3): 178–183. Close , 161 Gallardo, R. J. (2014). Guide to the Birds of Honduras. Mountain Gem Tours, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Close ), where suspected to be escapees (see Distribution: Introduced Range).