WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Cedar Waxwings are in Wisconsin all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early June, peak in the second week of August (35% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJun 1-7early June
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 22-30late September
FewestMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from early June and fall back by late September. Peak: on about 35% of Wisconsin 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%40%Jan 1-7: 2.8% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.7% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.6% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.9% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.9% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.0% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.8% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.9% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 25% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 28% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 30% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 31% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 33% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 34% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 36% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 36% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 35% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 25% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.3% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.2% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.2% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.6% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Green CountyBest late August · 43 checklists that week, 4,387 in all67%
  2. Dunn CountyBest the second week of September · 107 checklists that week, 8,247 in all60%
  3. Marquette CountyBest early August · 73 checklists that week, 3,706 in all58%
  4. Menominee CountyBest early August · 36 checklists that week, 745 in all57%
  5. Taylor CountyBest the second week of August · 71 checklists that week, 4,326 in all54%
  6. Ozaukee CountyBest the second week of August · 452 checklists that week, 38,294 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake WisconsinSauk County, best late August · 82 checklists that week, 1,455 in all93%
  2. Ottawa LakeWaukesha County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 985 in all93%
  3. Forest Beach Migratory PreserveOzaukee County, best early August · 24 checklists that week, 1,819 in all93%
  4. Red Cedar State TrailDunn County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 444 in all93%
  5. Retzer Nature CenterWaukesha County, best mid September · 41 checklists that week, 1,678 in all90%
  6. Portage ParkDoor County, best early August · 36 checklists that week, 837 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (21% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 21% of 27016 checklists6 am: 21% of 83973 checklists7 am: 17% of 160717 checklists8 am: 15% of 160531 checklists9 am: 13% of 136968 checklists10 am: 11% of 119110 checklists11 am: 9.8% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 9.2% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 8.7% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 8.5% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 9.3% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 10% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 13% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 15% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January2.8%2.5%2.7%2.5%
February2.6%2.2%2.3%2.5%
March2.6%2.3%2.1%2.0%
April2.4%2.9%2.9%3.0%
May4.8%6.9%10%17%
June20%22%25%28%
July30%30%31%33%
August34%36%36%35%
September33%28%25%20%
October18%16%15%12%
November8.3%5.2%3.9%3.7%
December3.4%3.2%3.6%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives early May, 4 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives late May, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives early June, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives late April, 5 weeks earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Wisconsin?
Cedar Waxwings are in Wisconsin all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early June, peak in the second week of August (35% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Wisconsin?
Cedar Waxwings never fully leave Wisconsin: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late September, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Wisconsin?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 35% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Green County, Dunn County, and Marquette County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).