WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in New York?

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

Common Nighthawks mostly pass through New York: they arrive in the second week of August, peak in early September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: early September. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 2.4% of New York checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  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%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.3% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Albany CountyBest late August · 1556 checklists that week, 62,079 in all7.3%
  2. Schenectady CountyBest early September · 169 checklists that week, 11,851 in all5.8%
  3. Kings CountyBest the second week of September · 2870 checklists that week, 134,897 in all5.6%
  4. Bronx CountyBest the second week of September · 484 checklists that week, 24,489 in all4.7%
  5. Suffolk CountyBest the second week of September · 3459 checklists that week, 208,865 in all4.6%
  6. Monroe CountyBest late May · 6681 checklists that week, 166,009 in all4.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Setauket Millpond (Little Bay)Suffolk County, best early September · 89 checklists that week, 535 in all96%
  2. Town of Ontario Land (south)Wayne County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 364 in all43%
  3. Albany Pine Bush PreserveAlbany County, best mid August · 24 checklists that week, 1,418 in all35%
  4. Three Rivers Wma (west)Onondaga County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 385 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 124869 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 298506 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 337334 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 307787 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 270801 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 2.8% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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%0.1%
May0.1%0.4%1.4%1.4%
June0.5%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%1.0%2.6%
September2.3%2.2%1.7%0.9%
October0.7%0.3%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than New York
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than New York

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in New York?
Common Nighthawks mostly pass through New York: they arrive in the second week of August, peak in early September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Common Nighthawks leave New York?
Most Common Nighthawks have left New York by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in New York?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in early September, on about 2.4% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Albany County, Schenectady County, and Kings County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).