WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Kansas?

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

Cedar Waxwings reach Kansas in mid August, are common by early September, peak in mid May (15% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of June.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: mid May. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by the second week of June. Peak: on about 15% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.2% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.3% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.0% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.5% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.9% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.2% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.7% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.2% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.7% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.0% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.5% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.6% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.5% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.5% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.0% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.8% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.5% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.4% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.7% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.7% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.4% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.7% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.9% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.3% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.2% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.6% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.1% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.8% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.7% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.2% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.5% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.7% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.6% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.7% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.9% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.6% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chautauqua CountyBest late November · 29 checklists that week, 723 in all50%
  2. Pratt CountyBest the second week of December · 52 checklists that week, 1,637 in all36%
  3. Jewell CountyBest late January · 12 checklists that week, 612 in all33%
  4. Washington CountyBest late November · 11 checklists that week, 277 in all29%
  5. Norton CountyBest late May · 21 checklists that week, 426 in all29%
  6. Pottawatomie CountyBest mid May · 300 checklists that week, 8,405 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pratt County Lake (west)Pratt County, best the second week of December · 34 checklists that week, 191 in all61%
  2. Burcham ParkDouglas County, best mid September · 27 checklists that week, 1,300 in all55%
  3. Cedar LakeJohnson County, best late May · 52 checklists that week, 1,712 in all51%
  4. Rocky Ford State Fishing AreaPottawatomie County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 720 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 13% of 12550 checklists7 am: 10% of 34128 checklists8 am: 8.9% of 45960 checklists9 am: 7.1% of 37806 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 32102 checklists11 am: 4.8% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 4.6% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 4.9% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 5.3% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 6.2% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 5.8% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January5.2%4.3%4.0%4.5%
February4.9%4.2%3.7%5.6%
March5.2%5.7%5.0%5.5%
April5.6%5.5%5.5%7.0%
May9.8%14%17%13%
June5.5%3.4%2.7%2.7%
July2.4%2.4%1.8%1.7%
August1.9%1.7%2.3%3.0%
September5.2%5.6%6.1%6.8%
October6.8%6.7%6.2%5.5%
November7.7%6.6%9.7%9.9%
December10%11%12%8.6%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of May, 13 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 6 weeks later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives mid August, in the same week than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives late September, 5 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Kansas?
Cedar Waxwings reach Kansas in mid August, are common by early September, peak in mid May (15% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of June.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Kansas?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Kansas by the second week of June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Kansas?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in mid May, on about 15% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Chautauqua County, Pratt County, and Jewell County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).