WhenToBird

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus · Troglodytidae

When Do Cactus Wrens Arrive in Texas?

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

The Cactus Wren is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 1.7% of checklists at its peak (mid August) and on 0.7% in its quietest week (the second week of October).

When to look

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

Best: mid August. Here all year. Peak: on about 1.7% of Texas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.3% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.8% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.5% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.3% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.1% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.8% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.9% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dimmit CountyBest late July · 13 checklists that week, 576 in all62%
  2. Upton CountyBest late July · 15 checklists that week, 351 in all52%
  3. Terrell CountyBest early July · 10 checklists that week, 1,174 in all40%
  4. Brewster CountyBest early August · 207 checklists that week, 32,691 in all35%
  5. Webb CountyBest late July · 24 checklists that week, 6,644 in all34%
  6. Duval CountyBest the second week of September · 40 checklists that week, 1,580 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Bend National Park (west 5)Brewster County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 562 in all82%
  2. Big Bend National Park (west 3)Brewster County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 818 in all80%
  3. Big Bend National Park (Panther Junction)Brewster County, best the second week of April · 31 checklists that week, 721 in all80%
  4. LangtryVal Verde County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 348 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Cactus Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 74687 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 285131 checklists8 am: 1.4% of 329960 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 267889 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 218205 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 1.2% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January0.8%0.8%0.8%0.8%
February1.0%1.1%1.0%1.1%
March1.1%1.3%1.3%1.2%
April1.3%1.1%1.3%1.5%
May1.8%1.4%1.5%1.6%
June1.3%1.5%1.2%1.3%
July1.3%1.0%1.2%1.1%
August1.2%1.5%1.8%1.8%
September1.2%1.0%0.9%0.8%
October0.9%0.7%0.7%0.9%
November0.9%0.8%0.8%0.8%
December0.9%0.8%0.7%0.9%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Cactus Wrens arrive in Texas?
The Cactus Wren is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 1.7% of checklists at its peak (mid August) and on 0.7% in its quietest week (the second week of October).
When do Cactus Wrens leave Texas?
The Cactus Wren does not leave Texas: it is reported all year, from 0.7% of checklists in the second week of October to 1.7% in mid August.
When is the best time to see a Cactus Wren in Texas?
The Cactus Wren is reported most often in mid August, on about 1.7% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Cactus Wrens seen most often?
By county, Dimmit County, Upton County, and Terrell County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cactus Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).