WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Nevada?

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

American Goldfinches are winter birds in Nevada: the first arrive in early September, they are common by mid October, peak in early December (8.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early December. First arrivals early September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 8.0% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 7.4% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.9% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.1% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.7% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.6% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.8% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.6% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.4% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.6% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.8% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.6% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.1% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.2% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.7% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.5% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.8% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.5% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.1% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.0% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.1% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.0% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.8% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.1% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.8% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.9% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.1% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.4% of 5101 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 Nevada 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 Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. White Pine CountyBest the second week of January · 27 checklists that week, 5,465 in all26%
  2. Douglas CountyBest early March · 127 checklists that week, 7,476 in all25%
  3. Esmeralda CountyBest mid April · 31 checklists that week, 2,275 in all25%
  4. Elko CountyBest mid February · 126 checklists that week, 8,844 in all23%
  5. Washoe CountyBest late November · 1336 checklists that week, 53,497 in all16%
  6. Pershing CountyBest mid January · 18 checklists that week, 1,407 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rancho San Rafael Regional ParkWashoe County, best late April · 120 checklists that week, 2,403 in all57%
  2. Hunter Creek ReservoirWashoe County, best early January · 31 checklists that week, 264 in all49%
  3. Swope MsWashoe County, best the second week of April · 41 checklists that week, 830 in all44%
  4. Idlewild ParkWashoe County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 879 in all39%
  5. Manzanita LakeWashoe County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 413 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 1.7% of 4313 checklists6 am: 5.5% of 17070 checklists7 am: 7.3% of 27389 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 24858 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 22012 checklists10 am: 4.2% of 19284 checklists11 am: 3.7% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 3.4% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 3.7% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 3.7% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 2.9% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 2.4% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) 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
January7.4%7.9%7.1%6.7%
February6.6%6.8%6.6%6.4%
March6.6%6.8%5.6%5.3%
April7.1%7.2%6.7%6.5%
May5.8%4.5%2.1%1.4%
June1.0%1.0%0.3%0.4%
July0.6%0.6%0.7%0.5%
August0.5%0.4%0.6%1.0%
September1.1%1.7%1.2%1.2%
October1.3%2.0%3.1%5.0%
November6.1%6.0%7.8%8.1%
December7.8%7.9%8.1%7.4%

Neighboring states

  • California: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Utah: year-round, peaks mid November
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early August
  • Oregon: arrives late April, 17 weeks earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Nevada?
American Goldfinches are winter birds in Nevada: the first arrive in early September, they are common by mid October, peak in early December (8.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do American Goldfinches leave Nevada?
Most American Goldfinches have left Nevada by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Nevada?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in early December, on about 8.0% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, White Pine County, Douglas County, and Esmeralda County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).