WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in Kansas?

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

Common Nighthawks reach Kansas in early May, are common by the second week of May, peak in early June (9.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: early June. First arrivals early May; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 9.5% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.5% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.7% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.0% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.9% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.7% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.1% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.7% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.8% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.6% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.9% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.4% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.2% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.3% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.9% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.3% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.6% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.6% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 8186 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 Kansas 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harper CountyBest late June · 24 checklists that week, 946 in all49%
  2. Ottawa CountyBest late July · 10 checklists that week, 523 in all45%
  3. Chase CountyBest late July · 35 checklists that week, 2,235 in all44%
  4. Mitchell CountyBest early August · 11 checklists that week, 739 in all40%
  5. Greenwood CountyBest the second week of June · 10 checklists that week, 611 in all39%
  6. Comanche CountyBest early July · 11 checklists that week, 769 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tallgrass Prairie National PreserveChase County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 644 in all52%
  2. Greater Flint Hills FeeRiley County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 478 in all43%
  3. IronwoodsJohnson County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 384 in all33%
  4. Cimarron National GrasslandMorton County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 495 in all31%
  5. Point of RocksMorton County, best early September · 28 checklists that week, 380 in all31%
  6. Pottawatomie State Fishing LakePottawatomie County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 529 in all25%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 5.3% of 12550 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 34128 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 45960 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 37806 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 32102 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 4.3% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 9.4% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 17% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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%0.1%0.1%0.3%
May2.0%5.5%7.7%9.0%
June11%8.9%7.7%7.1%
July7.7%6.8%6.6%6.9%
August7.4%7.2%6.8%8.3%
September8.9%9.3%7.6%4.6%
October2.7%1.1%0.2%0.1%
November0%0.1%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early May, in the same week than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives early May, in the same week than Kansas

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in Kansas?
Common Nighthawks reach Kansas in early May, are common by the second week of May, peak in early June (9.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Common Nighthawks leave Kansas?
Most Common Nighthawks have left Kansas by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in Kansas?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in early June, on about 9.5% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Harper County, Ottawa County, and Chase County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).