WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult American Goldfinch
Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Goldfinches are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late June, peak in mid August (50% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 18% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJun 22-30late June
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Fall back bySep 8-14the second week of September
FewestMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid August. Here all year; numbers build from late June and fall back by the second week of September. Peak: on about 50% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 25% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 25% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 23% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 18% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 39% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 41% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 34% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 30% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 35% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 37% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 41% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 42% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 44% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 44% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 50% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 50% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 51% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 44% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 35% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 27% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 27% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 23% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 28% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 25% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 24% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 24% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 26% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 25% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% of 3746 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Nebraska that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Merrick CountyBest mid August · 10 checklists that week, 552 in all83%
  2. Brown CountyBest early August · 16 checklists that week, 660 in all81%
  3. Stanton CountyBest mid August · 10 checklists that week, 835 in all78%
  4. Pawnee CountyBest mid August · 12 checklists that week, 586 in all77%
  5. Antelope CountyBest late August · 16 checklists that week, 664 in all77%
  6. Madison CountyBest mid August · 18 checklists that week, 1,920 in all77%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wildcat Hills State Recreation AreaScotts Bluff County, best mid May · 35 checklists that week, 828 in all99%
  2. Salt LakeLancaster County, best the second week of August · 38 checklists that week, 2,553 in all94%
  3. Rowe SanctuaryBuffalo County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 1,627 in all92%
  4. Glacier Creek PreserveDouglas County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 291 in all91%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (43% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 45% of 6945 checklists7 am: 43% of 19066 checklists8 am: 40% of 24661 checklists9 am: 36% of 23438 checklists10 am: 32% of 20424 checklists11 am: 28% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 27% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 25% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 25% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 22% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 20% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 22% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 24% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 22% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January25%25%25%24%
February23%25%26%21%
March20%17%18%18%
April21%24%25%32%
May39%41%37%34%
June30%30%30%35%
July37%41%42%44%
August44%50%50%51%
September44%35%27%29%
October27%26%23%26%
November28%25%24%25%
December24%26%25%27%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks mid August
  • South Dakota: arrives early May, 7 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives mid June, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late August

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Nebraska?
American Goldfinches are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late June, peak in mid August (50% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 18% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Nebraska?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Nebraska: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of September, but some are still reported in every week, about 18% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Nebraska?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in mid August, on about 50% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Merrick County, Brown County, and Stanton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).