When most people think of a cardinal, the brilliant red of a Northern Cardinal flashing across a snowy backyard likely comes to mind—and for good reason. With their bold colors, expressive crests, and sweet whistled songs, cardinals are some of the most beloved and recognizable birds in North America. But there’s more to the cardinal family than one iconic species.
Cardinals belong to the family Cardinalidae, a group that includes not only the famous Northern Cardinal but also other striking species like the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and the colorful Pyrrhuloxia of the desert Southwest. What ties them together isn’t just their beauty—though there’s plenty of that—but also their thick, conical bills adapted for seed-cracking, their rich vocalizations, and their preference for open woodlands, thickets, and backyard feeders.
These birds are mostly non-migratory, meaning once they move into your area, they’re likely there to stay. That makes them favorites among backyard birders, who often hear their sweet songs long before they spot the source in the branches. And while the males often steal the show with their color, females in this family are no less interesting – in fact, in many species, they sing too!
We’ll explore the cardinals of Arkansas- from the familiar to the more regionally unique – highlighting how to identify them, where they live, and what makes each one special. Whether you’re filling a feeder, scanning a brushy trail, or just listening from the porch, you might be surprised by just how much cardinal charm is hiding in plain sight.
9 Cardinals in Arkansas:
1. Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinals are very common in Arkansas and they are residents of the state all year. They are spotted in 60% of summer and winter checklists submitted by bird watchers for the state.
The bright red male Northern Cardinal with black around their faces is an incredible sight, especially against a white winter background. They also have red crests and beaks.
Females are also a little showy with their brown coloring, sharp brown crest, red highlights, and red beaks.
- Cardinalis cardinalis
- Length: 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm)
- Weight: 1.5-1.7 oz (42-48 g)
- Wingspan: 9.8-12.2 in (25-31 cm)
Northern Cardinals live in the Eastern half of the US and some states in the south as far west as Arizona.
You can find Northern Cardinals in dense vegetation foraging for seeds, fruit, and insects. Northern Cardinals will sometimes attack their own reflection during the breeding season as they obsessively defend their territories.
Northern Cardinal Song:
Northern Cardinal Call:
Attract Northern Cardinals to your backyard with feeders full of sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, millet, and milo. They will feed from large tube feeders, hoppers, platform feeders, or food scattered on the ground.
2. Indigo Bunting
Indigo Buntings are often spotted in Arkansas during summer and are recorded in 43% of checklists at this time. They are mainly seen from April to October, but a few hang around all year.
Indigo Buntings are small birds, with the males being bright blue with streaks of black on the wings and tail, and the females are brown.
- Passerina cyanea
- Length: 4.7-5.1 in (12-13 cm)
- Weight: 0.4-0.6 oz (12-18 g)
- Wingspan: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
Indigo Buntings migrate far from breeding grounds in eastern US states, southeastern Canada, and southern US states to winter grounds in Florida, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
You can find Indigo Buntings in weedy fields and shrubby areas foraging for seeds and insects.
Indigo Bunting Song:
Attract Indigo Buntings to your backyard with small seeds such as nyjer and thistle.
3. Summer Tanager
Summer Tanagers are frequently spotted in Arkansas during the breeding season from April to October and appear in 25% of checklists at this time.
Summer Tanager males are bright red birds with large chunky beaks. Females and juveniles are mainly yellow with hints of green on their backs.
- Piranga rubra
- Length: 6.7 in (17 cm)
- Weight: 1.1 oz (30 g)
Summer Tanagers breed in southern and eastern states before heading to Central and South America for winter.
You can find Summer Tanagers in open woodlands, and they feed on bees and wasps in mid-flight. They catch them and kill them by beating them against a branch and rubbing the stinger off before eating them.
Summer Tanager Song:
Nests of Summer Tanagers are made by the females from grass and other plant material towards the end of overhanging branches. The nest is not very well constructed, but they hold around four eggs. The eggs hatch in about ten days, and the young take another ten days to leave the nest.
Attract Summer Tanagers to your backyard with berry bushes and fruit trees.
Fun fact: Young Scarlet Tanagers are fed by their parents for another three weeks after leaving the nest, as they are cannot fly very well for a few more weeks.
4. Dickcissel
Dickcissels are mainly spotted in Arkansas during the breeding season from mid-April to October and occur in 11% of checklists at this time.
The male Dickcissel is a striking, chunky bird with its identifiable black throat patch and yellow chest. The yellow eyebrow line is stark against their grayish head. The female also has the same markings but with a slightly paler or duller tone. However, she does not have a black throat patch, and there is only a faint hint of the yellow chest.
- Spiza americana
- Length: 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)
- Weight: 0.9-1.4 oz (25.6-38.4 g)
- Wingspan: 9.8-10.2 in (24.8-26 cm)
Dickcissels breed in the Central and Great Plains of the US before migrating to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
You can find Dickcissel in meadows and prairies, tall grasslands, light-grazed pastures, and roadsides.
Dickcissel feed on insects and seeds. In the summer, they feed on grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, and crickets. At other times of the year, they may feed on seeds, weeds, grasses, and cultivated grain.
Dickcissel Song:
Nests of Dickcissel can be found in thick but small shrubs, grasses, and trees, up to four feet high. The bulky nests are made out of weeds, grass, and leaves and made soft by fine grass and animal hair. The female may lay up to six eggs that hatch in two weeks. The young are ready to fly after around ten days.
Fun fact: When it’s time to migrate during the fall, the Dickcissels come together, and their numbers can reach from thousands to millions when they reach their winter grounds.
5. Blue Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak breed in Arkansas and are most common from April to October. They are recorded in 9% of summer checklists.
6. Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanagers are spotted during summer in northern Arkansas and during migration in the south of the state.
Females Scarlet Tanagers are yellow with darker wings and tails, as are the males after molting.
Male Scarlet Tanagers are bright red birds with black wings and tails. Their bills are thick, and they have pretty short tails.
- Piranga olivacea
- Length: 6.3-6.7 in (16-17 cm)
- Weight: 0.8-1.3 oz (23-38 g)
- Wingspan: 9.8-11.4 in (25-29 cm)
In summer, Scarlet Tanagers breed in eastern forests before migrating to western South America. They can be spotted in southeastern states during their migrations.
Scarlet Tanagers can be hard to spot as they stay high in the forest canopy, but you may see a flash of red as they walk along branches looking for insects.
Scarlet Tanager Song:
Nests of Scarlet Tanagers are built by females in only around four days from loosely woven twigs, grass, and plant material. The inside is lined with soft grass, pine needles, and other soft material. They lay around four eggs, which take two weeks to hatch and up to two weeks for the young to fledge.
Attract Scarlet Tanagers by planting berry plants such as blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, juneberries, serviceberries, mulberries, strawberries, and chokeberries.
Fun fact: Male Scarlet Tanagers have singing battles which sometimes spill over into actual fighting.
7. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are usually spotted in Arkansas during migration, especially from April to May and September to October. They appear in 24% of checklists during spring and 5% of checklists during fall.
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and immature males are brown with lots of streaking and a flash of yellow under the wings.
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks males are black-and-white birds with black heads and backs, white bellies, and red breasts. They also have a flash of red under their wings.
- Pheucticus ludovicianus
- Length: 7.1-8.3 in (18-21 cm)
- Weight: 1.4-1.7 oz (39-49 g)
- Wingspan: 11.4-13.0 in (29-33 cm)
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks breed in northeastern US states, the Midwest, and southern and central Canada. They can be seen during migration in southeastern US states. Winter is spent in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
You can find Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in forests, parks, and backyards foraging for insects, berries, and seeds.
Nests of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are placed in the branches of a low tree. They are made of loosely-formed twigs, grass, and plants. There are about five eggs that take two weeks to hatch. After that, both parents take turns incubating the eggs.
Attract Rose-breasted Grosbeaks to your backyard with sunflower seeds and peanuts.
8. Painted Bunting
Painted Buntings are usually seen in Arkansas during the breeding season from May to September and occur in 5% of checklists at this time.
Painted Bunting males are a brightly colored patchwork of color with mostly red coloring underneath and with bright blue heads, green wings, and backs. Females are bright yellow-green.
- Passerina ciris
- Length: 4.7-5.1 in (12-13 cm)
- Weight: 0.5-0.7 oz (13-19 g)
Painted Bunting breed in a few US states, in the south-central and some coastal areas in southeastern states. They migrate at night to Central America, southern Florida, and some Caribbean islands.
You can find Painted Bunting in semi-open habitats, mainly foraging for seeds and insects in the breeding season.
Painted Bunting Song:
Nests of Painted Bunting are hidden in vegetation about five feet off the ground and made by the female from twigs, bark, grass, and plant material. They use cobwebs to hold it all together and line them with horsehair. They lay about four eggs which take around ten days to hatch and a further nine days for the young to hatch.
Attract Painted Bunting to your backyard with lots of their favorite seeds, such as white millet or black oil sunflower seeds, and dense vegetation for them to hide under.
Fun Fact: They may not look fierce with their bright colors, but male Painted Buntings will sometimes fight to the death.
9. Lazuli Bunting
Lazuli Buntings are usually spotted in Arkansas during migration but they are not very common here.
