WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Common Nighthawks mostly pass through Pennsylvania: they arrive in the second week of August, peak in early September (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early 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 1-7early October

Best: early September. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 3.9% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.7% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.8% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.7% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.8% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Venango CountyBest late August · 60 checklists that week, 2,831 in all15%
  2. Susquehanna CountyBest late August · 590 checklists that week, 22,573 in all8.9%
  3. Clarion CountyBest late August · 161 checklists that week, 9,153 in all8.5%
  4. Delaware CountyBest early September · 1547 checklists that week, 76,406 in all8.4%
  5. Columbia CountyBest late August · 154 checklists that week, 5,359 in all7.9%
  6. Pike CountyBest late August · 425 checklists that week, 17,484 in all7.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. High Bridge CreekSusquehanna County, best late August · 73 checklists that week, 1,092 in all63%
  2. Pine Grove Furnace State ParkCumberland County, best late August · 85 checklists that week, 725 in all47%
  3. Fort Washington State ParkMontgomery County, best mid August · 50 checklists that week, 2,428 in all39%
  4. South ParkAllegheny County, best mid August · 21 checklists that week, 1,472 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (4.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 236842 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 199508 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 4.0% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 5.3% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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%0.1%
May0.1%0.6%2.0%1.4%
June0.6%0.2%0.2%0.2%
July0.1%0.2%0.2%0.1%
August0.2%0.3%1.7%4.8%
September3.7%3.0%1.8%1.2%
October0.7%0.2%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives late July, 2 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in Pennsylvania?
Common Nighthawks mostly pass through Pennsylvania: they arrive in the second week of August, peak in early September (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Common Nighthawks leave Pennsylvania?
Most Common Nighthawks have left Pennsylvania by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in Pennsylvania?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in early September, on about 3.9% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Venango County, Susquehanna County, and Clarion County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).