WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Florida?

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

Cedar Waxwings reach Florida in early December, are common by late December, peak in early April (8.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 1-7early December
Common byDec 22-31late December
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: early April. First arrivals early December; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 8.8% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novrare
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.6% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.9% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.5% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.2% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.4% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.7% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.1% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.0% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.7% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.2% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.4% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.7% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.1% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.2% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.8% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest late December · 74 checklists that week, 1,773 in all29%
  2. Santa Rosa CountyBest early April · 432 checklists that week, 15,001 in all27%
  3. Alachua CountyBest late March · 3743 checklists that week, 120,363 in all21%
  4. Putnam CountyBest the second week of April · 103 checklists that week, 4,966 in all20%
  5. Escambia CountyBest late March · 990 checklists that week, 25,457 in all20%
  6. Columbia CountyBest late March · 176 checklists that week, 5,568 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake DestinySeminole County, best early April · 28 checklists that week, 1,410 in all93%
  2. Mead GardenOrange County, best late March · 376 checklists that week, 8,979 in all72%
  3. Earl Johnson Memorial ParkDuval County, best the second week of April · 31 checklists that week, 1,224 in all71%
  4. Kanapaha Botanical GardensAlachua County, best mid April · 74 checklists that week, 483 in all68%
  5. Harriman Circle ParkLeon County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 620 in all65%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 4.2% of 94591 checklists7 am: 5.2% of 296183 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 319987 checklists9 am: 3.3% of 254830 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 209480 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 3.2% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 3.1% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January3.6%3.9%4.1%4.6%
February5.5%5.6%6.2%6.4%
March6.7%7.1%8.0%8.7%
April9.2%8.4%7.7%6.1%
May4.2%2.0%0.5%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.4%0.9%1.0%
December1.0%1.8%2.6%2.8%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives mid October, 6 weeks earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of October, 7 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives mid October, 6 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives early November, 4 weeks earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Florida?
Cedar Waxwings reach Florida in early December, are common by late December, peak in early April (8.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Florida?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Florida by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Florida?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in early April, on about 8.8% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Santa Rosa County, and Alachua County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).