WhenToBird

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus · Troglodytidae

When Do Cactus Wrens Arrive in California?

Adult Cactus Wren
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cactus Wrens are winter birds in California: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: late March. First arrivals early October; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 1.3% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.6% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kern CountyBest late July · 881 checklists that week, 47,774 in all10%
  2. San Bernardino CountyBest late March · 3012 checklists that week, 84,093 in all9.4%
  3. Riverside CountyBest early March · 2885 checklists that week, 113,541 in all7.9%
  4. Orange CountyBest mid April · 5439 checklists that week, 244,559 in all2.9%
  5. San Diego CountyBest mid March · 9546 checklists that week, 405,465 in all2.6%
  6. Los Angeles CountyBest early April · 8897 checklists that week, 410,235 in all2.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coachella Valley PreserveRiverside County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 1,584 in all93%
  2. Oasis of MaraSan Bernardino County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 1,135 in all82%
  3. Sycamore Canyon Open SpaceLos Angeles County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 456 in all82%
  4. Prime Desert Woodland PreserveLos Angeles County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 685 in all82%
  5. Joshua Tree National Park (South Park Peak)San Bernardino County, best mid February · 34 checklists that week, 711 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Cactus Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 2.1% of 186053 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 444086 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 535846 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 486061 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January0.6%0.6%0.8%0.8%
February0.8%0.8%1.0%1.1%
March1.3%1.2%1.4%1.4%
April1.2%1.2%1.1%1.1%
May1.0%0.8%0.8%0.8%
June0.8%0.7%0.6%0.6%
July0.6%0.5%0.6%0.6%
August0.5%0.5%0.5%0.5%
September0.4%0.4%0.4%0.3%
October0.4%0.5%0.5%0.5%
November0.5%0.7%0.5%0.5%
December0.5%0.5%0.6%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives early October, in the same week than California
  • Arizona: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid August

Common questions

When do Cactus Wrens arrive in California?
Cactus Wrens are winter birds in California: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Cactus Wrens leave California?
Most Cactus Wrens have left California by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Cactus Wren in California?
The Cactus Wren is reported most often in late March, on about 1.3% of California checklists.
Where in California are Cactus Wrens seen most often?
By county, Kern County, San Bernardino County, and Riverside County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cactus Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).