WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in New York?

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

Cedar Waxwings reach New York in the second week of April, are common by mid May, peak in late June (31% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: late June. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 31% of New York checklists.

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

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.7% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.6% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.4% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.0% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.5% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.4% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 31% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 31% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 31% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 31% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 29% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 23% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.2% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.7% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.8% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.7% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.9% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.8% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest the second week of August · 219 checklists that week, 15,060 in all53%
  2. Montgomery CountyBest early August · 253 checklists that week, 17,048 in all53%
  3. Lewis CountyBest late July · 210 checklists that week, 5,920 in all52%
  4. Allegany CountyBest the second week of July · 182 checklists that week, 11,955 in all51%
  5. Chenango CountyBest the second week of August · 123 checklists that week, 10,785 in all50%
  6. Delaware CountyBest early July · 550 checklists that week, 18,557 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hamlin Beach State ParkMonroe County, best the second week of July · 31 checklists that week, 2,133 in all97%
  2. Upper Lisle County ParkBroome County, best mid August · 63 checklists that week, 2,869 in all96%
  3. Dryden Lake Multiple Use AreaTompkins County, best the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 1,935 in all95%
  4. Princes BayRichmond County, best the second week of June · 29 checklists that week, 2,012 in all95%
  5. Lakeside Beach State ParkOrleans County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 1,060 in all94%
  6. Town of Putnam LandWashington County, best the second week of August · 23 checklists that week, 855 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 22% of 124869 checklists7 am: 16% of 298506 checklists8 am: 13% of 337334 checklists9 am: 12% of 307787 checklists10 am: 9.7% of 270801 checklists11 am: 8.3% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 7.8% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 7.3% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 7.2% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 8.4% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 11% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 14% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January1.5%1.3%1.2%1.3%
February1.6%1.4%1.4%1.7%
March1.7%1.7%1.9%1.9%
April2.0%2.6%2.4%3.0%
May3.5%5.4%14%24%
June30%31%32%31%
July31%31%29%28%
August28%26%24%23%
September21%19%16%14%
October11%9.2%8.7%9.8%
November11%8.7%6.9%4.8%
December3.6%2.8%2.5%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives mid April, 1 week later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives early May, 3 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid April, 1 week later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives early June, 7 weeks later than New York

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in New York?
Cedar Waxwings reach New York in the second week of April, are common by mid May, peak in late June (31% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave New York?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left New York by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in New York?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in late June, on about 31% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Montgomery County, and Lewis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).