Red Dead Redemption 2 Northern Cardinal Location

Northern Cardinals in RDR2 are birds that you can hunt in the game. There are many places you can find the northern cardinal in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, the problem is that they’re very small, so they can be pretty difficult to hunt down, especially to get the perfect carcass. Plus, some locations have more northern cardinals than others. Our Red Dead Redemption 2 Northern Cardinal Location guide will show you the best places to find northern cardinals in Red Dead 2, as well as how to get the perfect carcass.

Where to Find Northern Cardinal Bird Locations in RDR2?

To find the northern cardinal locations in Red Dead Redemption 2, you’re gonna have to search the more forested areas of the game. The compendium entry says that RDR2 northern cardinals mostly live in “woodland areas of New Hanover and West Elizabeth.” However, fact is, there is a whole bunch of other places where you can run into northern cardinals. There’s locations in Roanoke Ridge, some spots in Lemoyne, and so on.

That said, the locations that the compendium mentions are the best places to look for cardinals. Specifically, you want to look in the area south of Valentine, in the west of New Hanover, all along the line of the Dakota River. Alternatively, you can look in the north of West Elizabeth, near the border with Grizzlies West. Consult the map above for the exact areas where you can expect to find the northern cardinal in Red Dead Redemption 2.

How to Get RDR2 Northern Cardinal Perfect Carcass?

To get the perfect carcass of the Northern Cardinal in Red Dead Redemption 2, you’re gonna have to use the right weapon. In the case of this pretty little bird, your tool of choice should be the bow with small game arrows. You’re gonna need one flight feather, one arrow, and a regular shotgun shell to craft one small game arrow. Then, you’ll have to use dead eye to make the shot easier, and shoot the bird down.

The only problem there is that the northern cardinal is a tiny bird. We got lucky and just happened to spot one on a rock near the Dakota River, southwest of Downes Ranch (location provided above). We then shot it down post-haste, so as not to lose it. Unfortunately, you might not be so lucky. What we did before that was basically shoot at different birds in flight and hope that one of them was a cardinal. So, yeah, it’s a bit of a dice roll, but you’ll get a cardinal eventually. Just be patient.

If you need more help with hunting in RDR2, you can check out some of our other Red Dead Redemption 2 hunting guides. Among others, we’ve got Opossum Locations – Virginia Opossums, Beaver Locations, and Cougar Locations – Hunter Challenge.

If you end up getting stuck at another point, you might want to check out some of the other guides we have. We've written about mysteries like the missing person Gavin, the Rhodes Gunsmith prisoner, the locked door at Valentine doctor. We also have instructional guides that show how to rob stores without getting bounty or where to sell jewelry and gold bars. If it's collectibles or key items you're after, we've found all the Penny Dreadful comic books, Chick's treasure map location, or that famous pipe for Dutch. Finally, if you don't care to explore the map yourself, you could take a look at our Watson's Cabin and Catfish Jackson's Homestead locations guides. In the latest Red Dead Online Moonshiners Update you'll have a chance to find Navy Revolver and Best Shack Locations.