WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Minnesota?

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

Cedar Waxwings reach Minnesota in late April, are common by late May, peak in mid August (26% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 22-31late May
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: mid August. First arrivals late April; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 26% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.9% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.9% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.7% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.4% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 22% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 24% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 25% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 26% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 27% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 26% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 25% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.5% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.3% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.4% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake of the Woods CountyBest late July · 15 checklists that week, 1,280 in all55%
  2. Lake CountyBest early August · 320 checklists that week, 19,908 in all52%
  3. Kittson CountyBest mid July · 21 checklists that week, 1,272 in all50%
  4. Cook CountyBest early August · 330 checklists that week, 14,913 in all48%
  5. Isanti CountyBest late August · 73 checklists that week, 2,785 in all45%
  6. Sherburne CountyBest late August · 244 checklists that week, 9,922 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kabekona LakeHubbard County, best the second week of July · 28 checklists that week, 1,402 in all91%
  2. Stony PointSt. Louis County, best the second week of August · 51 checklists that week, 1,825 in all88%
  3. Hawk RidgeSt. Louis County, best the second week of August · 29 checklists that week, 2,979 in all87%
  4. Agate Bay (southeast)Lake County, best the second week of August · 30 checklists that week, 815 in all87%
  5. Western Waterfront TrailSt. Louis County, best mid July · 31 checklists that week, 1,973 in all86%
  6. Sucker Lake Regional ParkRamsey County, best the second week of August · 54 checklists that week, 4,040 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (17% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 20% of 35775 checklists7 am: 15% of 90565 checklists8 am: 14% of 110612 checklists9 am: 11% of 106128 checklists10 am: 10% of 96131 checklists11 am: 8.9% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 7.7% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 7.8% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 7.4% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 7.5% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 8.3% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 10% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 12% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 13% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January2.2%1.7%1.7%1.3%
February1.2%1.2%1.2%1.3%
March1.5%1.4%1.3%1.3%
April1.4%1.9%1.6%1.9%
May3.9%6.7%8.4%15%
June20%21%22%22%
July23%24%25%25%
August26%26%27%26%
September25%22%20%18%
October16%14%16%12%
November8.5%6.3%4.4%3.7%
December3.1%3.0%3.0%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives late May, 4 weeks later than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: arrives early June, 5 weeks later than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: arrives mid May, 3 weeks later than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives mid May, 3 weeks later than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Minnesota?
Cedar Waxwings reach Minnesota in late April, are common by late May, peak in mid August (26% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Minnesota?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Minnesota by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Minnesota?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in mid August, on about 26% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Lake of the Woods County, Lake County, and Kittson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).