WhenToBird

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota · Hirundinidae

When Do Cliff Swallows Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Cliff Swallow
Photo: Dean Hester, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cliff Swallows reach Nebraska in mid April, are common by early May, peak in early July (21% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: early July. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 21% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.7% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.4% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 19% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.6% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.4% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.3% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.4% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blaine CountyBest late May · 15 checklists that week, 201 in all61%
  2. Phelps CountyBest the second week of August · 16 checklists that week, 836 in all61%
  3. Harlan CountyBest the second week of June · 15 checklists that week, 1,276 in all56%
  4. Keith CountyBest late June · 118 checklists that week, 3,876 in all51%
  5. Franklin CountyBest mid August · 10 checklists that week, 296 in all50%
  6. Hitchcock CountyBest mid June · 15 checklists that week, 441 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crane Viewing SiteHall County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 435 in all89%
  2. Salt LakeLancaster County, best late June · 51 checklists that week, 2,553 in all82%
  3. Oak LakeLancaster County, best late May · 34 checklists that week, 682 in all75%
  4. Marsh WrenLancaster County, best the second week of August · 37 checklists that week, 1,817 in all71%
  5. Flanagan Lake & Recreation AreaDouglas County, best the second week of June · 23 checklists that week, 1,089 in all70%
  6. Medelmans LakeMadison County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 367 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Cliff Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 12% of 6945 checklists7 am: 7.4% of 19066 checklists8 am: 6.5% of 24661 checklists9 am: 5.8% of 23438 checklists10 am: 5.6% of 20424 checklists11 am: 5.1% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 5.2% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 5.0% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 4.5% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 4.3% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 5.7% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 7.4% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 8.6% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0.1%0.2%1.0%4.7%
May8.4%11%15%16%
June14%16%19%21%
July22%21%19%17%
August17%16%14%8.6%
September5.4%3.3%1.4%0.5%
October0.2%0%0%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives late April, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives mid April, in the same week than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives early April, 2 weeks earlier than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Cliff Swallows arrive in Nebraska?
Cliff Swallows reach Nebraska in mid April, are common by early May, peak in early July (21% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Cliff Swallows leave Nebraska?
Most Cliff Swallows have left Nebraska by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Cliff Swallow in Nebraska?
The Cliff Swallow is reported most often in early July, on about 21% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Cliff Swallows seen most often?
By county, Blaine County, Phelps County, and Harlan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cliff Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).