WhenToBird

Stelgidopteryx serripennis · Hirundinidae

When Do Northern Rough-winged Swallows Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Nebraska in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 11% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  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 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.1% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.0% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.9% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.0% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.6% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.8% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.0% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.3% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.9% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.4% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.8% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.0% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.3% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.4% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Thurston CountyBest mid May · 32 checklists that week, 237 in all48%
  2. Dixon CountyBest the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 1,619 in all36%
  3. Richardson CountyBest the second week of May · 61 checklists that week, 788 in all30%
  4. Keya Paha CountyBest late June · 26 checklists that week, 455 in all30%
  5. Madison CountyBest the second week of May · 82 checklists that week, 1,920 in all27%
  6. Keith CountyBest mid May · 113 checklists that week, 3,876 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marsh WrenLancaster County, best the second week of May · 73 checklists that week, 1,817 in all61%
  2. Keystone Pond-Lake OgallalaKeith County, best late May · 85 checklists that week, 339 in all61%
  3. Wilderness Park (Beal Slough)Lancaster County, best early May · 28 checklists that week, 217 in all60%
  4. Cottonmill Lake State Recreation AreaBuffalo County, best mid May · 39 checklists that week, 587 in all52%
  5. Ponca State Park (north)Dixon County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 142 in all51%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 8.6% of 6945 checklists7 am: 5.3% of 19066 checklists8 am: 4.7% of 24661 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 23438 checklists10 am: 3.7% of 20424 checklists11 am: 3.3% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 3.3% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 2.9% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 4.0% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 4.9% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 5.2% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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%
April0.3%2.1%6.0%9.9%
May11%11%12%10%
June8.0%7.6%7.8%9.0%
July9.0%7.3%6.9%6.3%
August5.4%4.8%4.0%2.3%
September1.8%1.4%0.8%0.5%
October0.1%0.1%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives mid March, 3 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives mid March, 3 weeks earlier than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows arrive in Nebraska?
Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Nebraska in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows leave Nebraska?
Most Northern Rough-winged Swallows have left Nebraska by the second week of August, 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 Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Nebraska?
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 11% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Northern Rough-winged Swallows seen most often?
By county, Thurston County, Dixon County, and Richardson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Rough-winged Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).