WhenToBird

Quiscalus quiscula · Icteridae

When Do Common Grackles Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Common Grackle
Photo: Derek Spencer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Grackles reach Nebraska in early March, are common by mid March, peak in early June (54% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: early June. First arrivals early March; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 54% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.5% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 21% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 34% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 47% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 50% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 51% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 52% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 53% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 52% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 54% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 52% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 53% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 54% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 52% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 46% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 38% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 18% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.4% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.8% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.0% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.9% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.4% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.2% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.8% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% 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. Custer CountyBest late May · 54 checklists that week, 848 in all88%
  2. Gosper CountyBest mid June · 15 checklists that week, 483 in all85%
  3. Dodge CountyBest the second week of June · 124 checklists that week, 8,625 in all83%
  4. Adams CountyBest the second week of June · 36 checklists that week, 936 in all81%
  5. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of June · 16 checklists that week, 630 in all80%
  6. Cheyenne CountyBest mid April · 17 checklists that week, 766 in all80%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tractor Testing TrackLancaster County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 242 in all98%
  2. Salt LakeLancaster County, best late June · 51 checklists that week, 2,553 in all94%
  3. Lauritzen GardensDouglas County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 317 in all93%
  4. Mercer ParkDouglas County, best early May · 39 checklists that week, 696 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Common Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (39% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 47% of 6945 checklists7 am: 36% of 19066 checklists8 am: 30% of 24661 checklists9 am: 25% of 23438 checklists10 am: 23% of 20424 checklists11 am: 21% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 21% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 20% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 19% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 19% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 23% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 30% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 38% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 39% 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
January0.3%0.2%0.1%0.3%
February0.3%0.4%0.8%1.1%
March5.5%12%21%34%
April43%47%50%51%
May52%53%52%54%
June52%53%54%52%
July46%38%30%23%
August18%14%11%9.4%
September8.8%9.0%10%14%
October16%17%14%7.9%
November4.4%3.2%1.8%1.1%
December0.4%0.3%0.7%0.5%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Common Grackles arrive in Nebraska?
Common Grackles reach Nebraska in early March, are common by mid March, peak in early June (54% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Common Grackles leave Nebraska?
Most Common Grackles have left Nebraska by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Common Grackle in Nebraska?
The Common Grackle is reported most often in early June, on about 54% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Common Grackles seen most often?
By county, Custer County, Gosper County, and Dodge County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).