WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk: When and Where to See It

Adult Common Nighthawk
Photo: Donald Davesne, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Common Nighthawk reaches Florida first, around the second week of April, and Delaware last, around late July.

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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0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.9% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.8% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.6% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.5% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.6% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.2% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.5% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
TexasSummer visitorApr 8-14May 22-31Sep 1-77.7%
LouisianaSummer visitorApr 8-14May 8-14Sep 8-146.5%
FloridaSummer visitorApr 8-14Jun 8-14Sep 8-144.8%
MississippiSummer visitorApr 15-21May 15-21Sep 8-142.9%
AlabamaSummer visitorApr 15-21May 15-21Sep 15-212.3%
OklahomaSummer visitorApr 22-30May 22-31Oct 1-78.3%
South CarolinaSummer visitorApr 22-30Jun 15-21Aug 1-71.7%
KansasSummer visitorMay 1-7Jun 1-7Sep 22-309.5%
KentuckyPasses throughMay 1-7Sep 1-7Sep 22-306.1%
MissouriSummer visitorMay 1-7Sep 1-7Oct 1-77.1%
ArkansasSummer visitorMay 1-7Sep 1-7Oct 1-73.0%
IndianaSummer visitorMay 1-7Sep 1-7Sep 15-214.3%
OhioSummer visitorMay 1-7Sep 1-7Sep 22-303.3%
TennesseeSummer visitorMay 1-7Sep 1-7Oct 1-74.4%
North CarolinaSummer visitorMay 1-7Sep 1-7Sep 22-302.4%
IowaSummer visitorMay 8-14Sep 8-14Oct 1-78.7%
NebraskaSummer visitorMay 8-14Jun 8-14Sep 15-218.2%
IllinoisPasses throughMay 8-14Sep 1-7Sep 22-307.5%
New MexicoSummer visitorMay 8-14Aug 1-7Sep 1-74.6%
MichiganSummer visitorMay 8-14Aug 22-31Sep 15-212.3%
South DakotaSummer visitorMay 15-21Jun 8-14Sep 1-710%
North DakotaSummer visitorMay 15-21Aug 22-31Sep 8-147.6%
ColoradoSummer visitorMay 15-21Jun 8-14Sep 8-144.0%
MaineSummer visitorMay 15-21Aug 22-31Sep 8-142.1%
MontanaSummer visitorMay 22-31Jun 15-21Aug 22-318.8%
WyomingSummer visitorMay 22-31Aug 1-7Sep 1-79.9%
IdahoSummer visitorMay 22-31Jun 15-21Sep 1-77.0%
NevadaSummer visitorMay 22-31Jul 22-31Aug 22-315.1%
OregonSummer visitorMay 22-31Jun 8-14Aug 15-215.6%
UtahSummer visitorMay 22-31Sep 1-7Sep 15-214.4%
WashingtonSummer visitorMay 22-31Jun 8-14Aug 22-313.1%
DelawareSummer visitorJul 22-31Sep 1-7Oct 1-72.7%
MinnesotaSummer visitorAug 1-7Aug 22-31Sep 15-215.4%
New HampshirePasses throughAug 8-14Aug 22-31Sep 8-147.1%
WisconsinPasses throughAug 8-14Aug 22-31Sep 15-217.0%
ConnecticutPasses throughAug 8-14Sep 1-7Oct 1-74.5%
MassachusettsPasses throughAug 8-14Aug 22-31Sep 15-213.4%
MarylandPasses throughAug 8-14Sep 1-7Oct 8-142.5%
New JerseySummer visitorAug 8-14Sep 1-7Oct 8-142.9%
PennsylvaniaPasses throughAug 8-14Sep 1-7Oct 1-73.9%
VermontPasses throughAug 8-14Aug 22-31Sep 1-73.7%
New YorkPasses throughAug 8-14Sep 1-7Oct 8-142.4%
VirginiaPasses throughAug 8-14Sep 1-7Oct 8-142.4%
West VirginiaPasses throughAug 15-21Sep 1-7Sep 8-147.2%
District of ColumbiaPasses throughAug 15-21Sep 1-7Oct 1-74.5%
GeorgiaSummer visitorAug 15-21Sep 8-14Oct 1-73.1%
Rhode IslandPasses throughAug 15-21Sep 1-7Sep 15-212.2%

Passes through: New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Rhode Island

Summer visitor in: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Georgia