WhenToBird

Pica hudsonia · Corvidae

When Do Black-billed Magpies Arrive in Nevada?

Adult Black-billed Magpie
Photo: Mayela y Ramón, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Black-billed Magpie is in Nevada all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (mid October) and on 7.6% in its quietest week (the second week of July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 15-21mid October
Quietest weekJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: mid October. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 10% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.4% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 10% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.5% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.8% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.9% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.9% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.8% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.0% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.3% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.7% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.5% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.2% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.3% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.4% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.5% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.9% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.3% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.1% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.9% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pershing CountyBest the second week of December · 12 checklists that week, 1,407 in all61%
  2. Carson CityBest late October · 178 checklists that week, 6,992 in all57%
  3. Churchill CountyBest late February · 40 checklists that week, 3,104 in all54%
  4. Lander CountyBest the second week of October · 16 checklists that week, 1,413 in all53%
  5. Douglas CountyBest mid December · 74 checklists that week, 7,476 in all49%
  6. Elko CountyBest early December · 57 checklists that week, 8,844 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mccarran Ranch PreserveStorey County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 293 in all98%
  2. Washoe Lake State Park (Duck Flat)Washoe County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 391 in all95%
  3. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park (northwest)Washoe County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 372 in all94%
  4. River Fork Ranch PreserveDouglas County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 371 in all90%
  5. Camp Carson ParkCarson City, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 424 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Black-billed Magpie is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 7.4% of 4313 checklists6 am: 9.8% of 17070 checklists7 am: 12% of 27389 checklists8 am: 12% of 24858 checklists9 am: 12% of 22012 checklists10 am: 12% of 19284 checklists11 am: 11% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 9.8% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 9.9% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 9.0% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 8.9% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 8.7% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 9.1% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 8.1% 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
January10%10%9.4%10%
February10%9.5%9.8%9.9%
March9.9%11%9.8%9.0%
April9.3%9.7%11%11%
May12%11%12%11%
June12%11%10%9.5%
July7.2%7.3%8.4%8.5%
August6.9%7.3%9.1%10%
September9.9%11%11%12%
October11%12%13%12%
November12%11%11%12%
December12%12%13%11%

Neighboring states

  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of January
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid November
  • Oregon: summer visitor, peaks late May
  • Wyoming: all year, most in winter, peaks early January

Common questions

When do Black-billed Magpies arrive in Nevada?
The Black-billed Magpie is in Nevada all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (mid October) and on 7.6% in its quietest week (the second week of July).
When do Black-billed Magpies leave Nevada?
The Black-billed Magpie does not leave Nevada: it is reported all year, from 7.6% of checklists in the second week of July to 12% in mid October.
When is the best time to see a Black-billed Magpie in Nevada?
The Black-billed Magpie is reported most often in mid October, on about 12% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Black-billed Magpies seen most often?
By county, Pershing County, Carson City, and Churchill County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-billed Magpie (counties with at least 200 checklists).