WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Common Nighthawks reach Wyoming in late May, are common by early June, peak in early August (9.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 22-31late May
Common byJun 1-7early June
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: early August. First arrivals late May; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 9.9% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  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 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.1% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.5% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.2% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.0% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.0% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.9% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.0% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.8% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.4% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.5% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.3% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Niobrara CountyBest the second week of June · 15 checklists that week, 423 in all41%
  2. Converse CountyBest mid July · 73 checklists that week, 3,460 in all28%
  3. Weston CountyBest early August · 27 checklists that week, 2,297 in all28%
  4. Platte CountyBest early August · 35 checklists that week, 1,645 in all23%
  5. Natrona CountyBest early August · 87 checklists that week, 5,810 in all23%
  6. Sweetwater CountyBest early August · 138 checklists that week, 5,064 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Optomist ParkAlbany County, best mid June · 28 checklists that week, 2,101 in all51%
  2. Hudson DrawFremont County, best mid June · 66 checklists that week, 2,803 in all43%
  3. Grand Teton National Park (southwest 3)Teton County, best late June · 51 checklists that week, 373 in all42%
  4. Hutton Lake National Wildlife RefugeAlbany County, best late July · 57 checklists that week, 936 in all37%
  5. Curt Gowdy State ParkLaramie County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 218 in all26%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 5.0% of 8808 checklists7 am: 2.7% of 18458 checklists8 am: 2.3% of 22143 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 21499 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 19425 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 9.1% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 16% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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%0.1%1.5%
June6.1%8.5%8.2%9.0%
July7.0%7.9%9.0%9.8%
August10%9.4%9.5%6.7%
September3.3%1.6%0.8%0.2%
October0.1%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives mid May, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • Utah: arrives late May, in the same week than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives late May, in the same week than Wyoming
  • Idaho: arrives late May, in the same week than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in Wyoming?
Common Nighthawks reach Wyoming in late May, are common by early June, peak in early August (9.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Common Nighthawks leave Wyoming?
Most Common Nighthawks have left Wyoming by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in Wyoming?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in early August, on about 9.9% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Niobrara County, Converse County, and Weston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).