WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Iowa?

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

Cedar Waxwings are in Iowa all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late May, peak in the second week of September (22% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (mid April) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 22-31late May
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Fall back byNov 1-7early November
FewestApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of September. Here all year; numbers build from late May and fall back by early November. Peak: on about 22% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 3.4% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.3% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.6% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.8% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.7% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.3% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.2% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.3% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 21% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 20% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 20% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 19% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 19% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.7% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.6% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.9% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.8% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.6% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.8% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clarke CountyBest early October · 11 checklists that week, 459 in all56%
  2. Keokuk CountyBest the second week of June · 10 checklists that week, 243 in all55%
  3. Franklin CountyBest late July · 16 checklists that week, 331 in all50%
  4. Floyd CountyBest mid June · 10 checklists that week, 417 in all48%
  5. Winneshiek CountyBest mid August · 37 checklists that week, 3,054 in all47%
  6. Fayette CountyBest late June · 12 checklists that week, 1,130 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. John Deere MarshDubuque County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 1,952 in all67%
  2. Mines of Spain State Recreation AreaDubuque County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 754 in all64%
  3. Riverview Recreation AreaBlack Hawk County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 339 in all62%
  4. McFarland Park - Skunk River GreenbeltStory County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 723 in all57%
  5. Lake Macbride State ParkJohnson County, best the second week of September · 25 checklists that week, 890 in all57%
  6. Mines of Spain State Recreation Area (Catfish Creek)Dubuque County, best the second week of September · 26 checklists that week, 244 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 17% of 11313 checklists7 am: 14% of 25717 checklists8 am: 12% of 29755 checklists9 am: 11% of 28897 checklists10 am: 8.9% of 26343 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 7.3% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 7.5% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 7.7% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 7.9% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 8.6% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 11% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 12% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 13% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January3.4%3.3%2.3%3.5%
February3.3%2.6%2.5%3.3%
March2.6%2.8%2.8%3.4%
April3.1%2.7%2.7%2.3%
May3.2%6.3%11%19%
June21%21%21%20%
July20%19%19%17%
August16%16%17%19%
September24%22%20%20%
October18%16%17%19%
November16%10%8.7%7.6%
December4.9%4.8%6.6%4.8%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid August, 11 weeks later than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives early June, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives late April, 4 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives early May, 3 weeks earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Iowa?
Cedar Waxwings are in Iowa all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late May, peak in the second week of September (22% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (mid April) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Iowa?
Cedar Waxwings never fully leave Iowa: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early November, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Iowa?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 22% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Clarke County, Keokuk County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).