Cardinals & Grosbeaks in Massachusetts
Our list for Massachusetts has 5 cardinals & grosbeaks recorded regularly there: 1 resident, 2 summer visitors and 2 winter visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Massachusetts in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 5, most common first
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year
Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianusSummer visitorCommon18–22 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivaceaSummer visitorCommon16–19 cmRegularly May–Sep
DickcisselSpiza americanaWinter visitorUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Jun–Feb
Painted BuntingPasserina cirisWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Painted Bunting 12–14 cm
- Dickcissel 14–16 cm
- Scarlet Tanager 16–19 cm
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak 18–22 cm
- Northern Cardinal 21–23 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made