WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Cedar Waxwing
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cedar Waxwings reach Colorado in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late August (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid January.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byJan 15-21mid January

Best: late August. First arrivals late April; most are gone by mid January. Peak: on about 7.5% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.5% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.6% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.6% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.3% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.9% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.8% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.8% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.1% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.8% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.9% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.8% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.0% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.8% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.1% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.1% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.5% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.5% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.4% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.1% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.9% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.0% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.1% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.2% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.1% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Routt CountyBest late August · 505 checklists that week, 10,504 in all33%
  2. Cheyenne CountyBest late May · 92 checklists that week, 1,388 in all32%
  3. Pitkin CountyBest late August · 536 checklists that week, 15,513 in all31%
  4. La Plata CountyBest late August · 749 checklists that week, 21,744 in all28%
  5. Eagle CountyBest late August · 465 checklists that week, 15,893 in all27%
  6. Moffat CountyBest late August · 164 checklists that week, 5,700 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huck Finn PondLa Plata County, best the second week of August · 82 checklists that week, 2,708 in all89%
  2. East Fork Brush CreekPitkin County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 502 in all85%
  3. Yampa River PreserveRoutt County, best early September · 25 checklists that week, 203 in all79%
  4. Lair o' the Bear ParkJefferson County, best early August · 43 checklists that week, 1,259 in all79%
  5. West LakeJefferson County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 1,835 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 5.9% of 71991 checklists7 am: 5.4% of 159189 checklists8 am: 5.0% of 177206 checklists9 am: 4.2% of 165269 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 141029 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 3.6% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 4.1% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January2.5%2.3%2.6%2.3%
February2.0%1.5%1.6%1.8%
March1.9%1.6%1.5%1.6%
April1.4%1.1%1.1%1.3%
May2.5%3.3%4.9%6.8%
June6.8%6.1%5.8%5.9%
July6.1%5.8%6.0%6.8%
August7.1%7.1%7.5%7.5%
September7.4%6.1%4.9%4.0%
October3.1%3.0%2.5%2.2%
November2.3%2.3%2.5%2.1%
December2.1%2.3%2.5%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives late April, in the same week than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives late July, 12 weeks later than Colorado
  • Utah: year-round, peaks early June
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of May, 2 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Colorado?
Cedar Waxwings reach Colorado in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late August (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid January.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Colorado?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Colorado by mid January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Colorado?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in late August, on about 7.5% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Routt County, Cheyenne County, and Pitkin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).