WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in Colorado?

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

Common Nighthawks reach Colorado in mid May, are common by late May, peak in the second week of June (4.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 22-31late May
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 4.0% of Colorado checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.4% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.1% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.4% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.8% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.8% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.1% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.4% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.5% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.5% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheyenne CountyBest early June · 31 checklists that week, 1,388 in all26%
  2. Yuma CountyBest the second week of August · 57 checklists that week, 3,844 in all25%
  3. Baca CountyBest mid July · 26 checklists that week, 3,209 in all21%
  4. Kiowa CountyBest the second week of June · 45 checklists that week, 3,854 in all20%
  5. Costilla CountyBest mid August · 39 checklists that week, 1,323 in all20%
  6. Rio Grande CountyBest mid July · 171 checklists that week, 4,655 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crow Valley ParkWeld County, best early August · 28 checklists that week, 2,041 in all83%
  2. Monte Vista National Wildlife RefugeRio Grande County, best late July · 45 checklists that week, 1,219 in all51%
  3. Soapstone Prairie Natural AreaLarimer County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 295 in all50%
  4. Pawnee National Grassland (north)Weld County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 257 in all42%
  5. Floodwater B-6 Retention ReservoirLarimer County, best mid July · 21 checklists that week, 136 in all41%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (3.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 71991 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 159189 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 5.1% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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%0%0%0%
May0.1%0.2%0.7%2.7%
June4.4%4.1%3.4%2.8%
July2.3%2.8%3.1%3.4%
August3.5%3.6%3.5%2.5%
September2.6%2.3%1.3%0.5%
October0.2%0.1%0.1%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives late May, 1 week later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives late May, 1 week later than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Colorado

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in Colorado?
Common Nighthawks reach Colorado in mid May, are common by late May, peak in the second week of June (4.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Common Nighthawks leave Colorado?
Most Common Nighthawks have left Colorado by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in Colorado?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 4.0% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Cheyenne County, Yuma County, and Baca County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).