WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in South Dakota?

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

Cedar Waxwings are in South Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid May, peak in mid July (13% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 4.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 15-21mid May
PeakJul 15-21mid July
Fall back byNov 8-14the second week of November
FewestFeb 15-21mid February

Best: mid July. Here all year; numbers build from mid May and fall back by the second week of November. Peak: on about 13% of South Dakota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.1% of 1699 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.9% of 967 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.0% of 893 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 1338 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.1% of 898 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 1013 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.1% of 1650 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.2% of 1011 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.1% of 1304 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.6% of 1447 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.3% of 1524 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.0% of 2850 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.0% of 2170 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.6% of 2259 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.0% of 2578 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.4% of 3858 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.3% of 3532 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.0% of 4498 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 4211 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 5094 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 3279 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.7% of 3503 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 2861 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 3893 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 2666 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 2554 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 2412 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 2746 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 1842 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 1899 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 1757 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 2464 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 1894 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 1794 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.6% of 1671 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.7% of 2085 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 1429 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.5% of 1441 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.5% of 1330 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 1471 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 1168 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.4% of 1068 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.6% of 985 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.9% of 1108 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.1% of 890 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.9% of 957 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.8% of 1246 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.6% of 1514 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gregory CountyBest early July · 11 checklists that week, 472 in all50%
  2. Harding CountyBest late August · 14 checklists that week, 1,088 in all41%
  3. Edmunds CountyBest early February · 11 checklists that week, 466 in all39%
  4. Hughes CountyBest late August · 86 checklists that week, 3,765 in all36%
  5. Union CountyBest mid October · 11 checklists that week, 882 in all33%
  6. Clay CountyBest late November · 25 checklists that week, 2,633 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Farm IslandHughes County, best mid October · 24 checklists that week, 825 in all69%
  2. Newton Hills (Sargeant Creek)Lincoln County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 173 in all57%
  3. Wind Cave National ParkCuster County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 475 in all54%
  4. State Recreation AreaLawrence County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 500 in all54%
  5. Canyon Lake ParkPennington County, best mid August · 55 checklists that week, 2,659 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In South Dakota, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (49) to judge1 am: too few checklists (44) to judge2 am: too few checklists (33) to judge3 am: too few checklists (59) to judge4 am: too few checklists (227) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1080) to judge6 am: 15% of 3387 checklists7 am: 12% of 7718 checklists8 am: 13% of 10342 checklists9 am: 10% of 10758 checklists10 am: 8.6% of 9123 checklists11 am: 7.4% of 7814 checklists12 pm: 6.2% of 6876 checklists1 pm: 7.0% of 6801 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 6673 checklists3 pm: 6.3% of 6344 checklists4 pm: 6.6% of 6412 checklists5 pm: 7.8% of 5570 checklists6 pm: 9.2% of 4276 checklists7 pm: 8.0% of 3183 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1499) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (329) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (82) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (42) 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
January5.1%5.9%5.0%5.0%
February6.1%3.3%4.1%5.2%
March5.1%6.6%5.3%5.0%
April4.0%4.6%5.0%3.4%
May6.3%7.0%10%12%
June11%9.7%11%11%
July14%13%13%14%
August12%12%13%13%
September12%11%9.6%9.7%
October10%7.5%9.5%11%
November10%8.4%8.6%8.9%
December8.1%7.9%6.8%7.6%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than South Dakota
  • North Dakota: arrives mid May, in the same week than South Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives late April, 3 weeks earlier than South Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives late May, 1 week later than South Dakota

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in South Dakota?
Cedar Waxwings are in South Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid May, peak in mid July (13% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 4.2% of checklists.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave South Dakota?
Cedar Waxwings never fully leave South Dakota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of November, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in South Dakota?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in mid July, on about 13% of South Dakota checklists.
Where in South Dakota are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Gregory County, Harding County, and Edmunds County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).