WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Cedar Waxwings are in North Carolina all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early May, peak in the second week of May (13% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 4.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byMay 22-31late May
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from early May and fall back by late May. Peak: on about 13% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.4% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.2% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.9% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.8% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.4% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.0% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.0% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.4% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.5% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.8% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.8% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.0% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.3% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.1% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.3% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.2% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.2% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.3% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.3% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.4% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.4% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.1% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.1% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.4% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.1% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.4% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.4% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.4% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.0% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.2% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.9% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.0% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.9% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.7% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.3% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.1% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.5% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.6% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.0% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.9% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mitchell CountyBest mid August · 42 checklists that week, 2,981 in all50%
  2. Yancey CountyBest early September · 247 checklists that week, 11,714 in all35%
  3. Watauga CountyBest mid August · 438 checklists that week, 24,164 in all33%
  4. Hertford CountyBest mid March · 23 checklists that week, 1,343 in all32%
  5. Swain CountyBest the second week of July · 161 checklists that week, 5,669 in all32%
  6. Avery CountyBest the second week of August · 157 checklists that week, 8,724 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rosasco Lake UpperWatauga County, best the second week of August · 29 checklists that week, 1,829 in all88%
  2. Heffner GapMcDowell County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 268 in all84%
  3. Black Mountain GapYancey County, best late August · 37 checklists that week, 494 in all79%
  4. The LagoonBuncombe County, best early September · 47 checklists that week, 1,934 in all78%
  5. Kings Creek Bridge Wildlife Conservation AreaHenderson County, best early November · 29 checklists that week, 442 in all75%
  6. Trout Lake (northeast)Watauga County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 322 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 10% of 50335 checklists7 am: 10% of 150152 checklists8 am: 9.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 7.7% of 158933 checklists10 am: 6.0% of 128398 checklists11 am: 5.1% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 4.9% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 6.1% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 5.3% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 5.3% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 6.0% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January6.3%5.4%5.2%4.9%
February4.8%4.4%4.0%5.0%
March4.4%4.4%4.5%4.8%
April4.8%5.0%5.3%7.1%
May12%13%12%8.3%
June7.2%6.2%6.3%6.3%
July6.4%6.4%6.1%6.1%
August5.4%6.1%6.8%7.4%
September8.4%9.4%9.0%8.2%
October6.8%6.1%5.9%7.0%
November9.9%9.7%9.3%9.1%
December8.5%7.6%9.0%7.9%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of October, 21 weeks later than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives early May, in the same week than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives early May, in the same week than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in North Carolina?
Cedar Waxwings are in North Carolina all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early May, peak in the second week of May (13% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 4.4% of checklists.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave North Carolina?
Cedar Waxwings never fully leave North Carolina: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late May, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in North Carolina?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 13% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Mitchell County, Yancey County, and Watauga County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).