WhenToBird

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus · Troglodytidae

When Do Cactus Wrens Arrive in New Mexico?

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

The Cactus Wren is in New Mexico all year. It turns up on about 3.9% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 1.8% in its quietest week (late November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekNov 22-30late November

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 3.9% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.5% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.3% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.9% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.0% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.7% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.9% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.8% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.0% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.4% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.9% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.8% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.8% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.3% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.9% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.0% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.8% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.7% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.4% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.6% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.5% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.5% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.0% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% of 14523 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hidalgo CountyBest late July · 282 checklists that week, 7,579 in all41%
  2. Luna CountyBest the second week of June · 31 checklists that week, 3,814 in all30%
  3. Sierra CountyBest the second week of June · 141 checklists that week, 13,458 in all25%
  4. Lea CountyBest late August · 71 checklists that week, 2,698 in all24%
  5. Dona Ana CountyBest the second week of June · 368 checklists that week, 29,776 in all20%
  6. Otero CountyBest late October · 184 checklists that week, 8,483 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rockhound State ParkLuna County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 289 in all91%
  2. Tellbrook ParkDona Ana County, best mid March · 31 checklists that week, 978 in all81%
  3. Bear Canyon ArroyoBernalillo County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 484 in all78%
  4. HillsboroSierra County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 1,041 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Cactus Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (186) to judge1 am: too few checklists (180) to judge2 am: too few checklists (172) to judge3 am: too few checklists (183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (527) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4013) to judge6 am: 5.1% of 29677 checklists7 am: 4.5% of 71785 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 79208 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 61605 checklists10 am: 2.2% of 49588 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 1.7% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 15112 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (9040) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2738) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (736) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (384) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January2.2%2.3%2.5%2.5%
February1.9%2.4%2.9%3.0%
March3.3%3.9%4.0%3.7%
April3.9%3.8%4.0%3.4%
May2.9%2.9%2.9%2.8%
June2.8%2.3%2.8%2.2%
July2.3%2.3%2.9%3.5%
August4.0%3.6%3.3%2.8%
September2.7%2.1%2.1%1.9%
October2.2%2.4%2.6%2.5%
November2.2%2.5%1.7%1.7%
December2.0%2.0%2.1%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid August
  • Nevada: summer visitor, peaks early April
  • California: winter visitor, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Cactus Wrens arrive in New Mexico?
The Cactus Wren is in New Mexico all year. It turns up on about 3.9% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 1.8% in its quietest week (late November).
When do Cactus Wrens leave New Mexico?
The Cactus Wren does not leave New Mexico: it is reported all year, from 1.8% of checklists in late November to 3.9% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Cactus Wren in New Mexico?
The Cactus Wren is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 3.9% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Cactus Wrens seen most often?
By county, Hidalgo County, Luna County, and Sierra County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cactus Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).