WhenToBird

Stelgidopteryx serripennis · Hirundinidae

When Do Northern Rough-winged Swallows Arrive in Nevada?

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

Northern Rough-winged Swallows are in Nevada all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in mid April (19% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late October) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestOct 22-31late October

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 19% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.1% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.5% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.1% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.2% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.2% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.3% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.8% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.5% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 19% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 19% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.7% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.6% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.7% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.3% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.0% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.3% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.4% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.7% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.6% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.2% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.8% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.7% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.3% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.8% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.3% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.0% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.2% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.7% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.9% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.9% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.9% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.9% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.8% of 5101 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 Nevada 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 Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clark CountyBest mid April · 2050 checklists that week, 80,458 in all30%
  2. Storey CountyBest late May · 64 checklists that week, 1,593 in all27%
  3. Carson CityBest late April · 221 checklists that week, 6,992 in all23%
  4. Pershing CountyBest early May · 31 checklists that week, 1,407 in all22%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest late April · 163 checklists that week, 3,842 in all22%
  6. Churchill CountyBest the second week of July · 32 checklists that week, 3,104 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bird Viewing PreserveClark County, best late March · 327 checklists that week, 9,268 in all81%
  2. Lockwood Open SpaceWashoe County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 472 in all70%
  3. Mccarran Ranch PreserveStorey County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 293 in all70%
  4. Cornerstone ParkClark County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 1,000 in all65%
  5. Sunset Park Recreation CenterClark County, best early June · 29 checklists that week, 1,997 in all64%
  6. Corn Creek SpringsClark County, best mid August · 52 checklists that week, 6,865 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 19% of 4313 checklists6 am: 15% of 17070 checklists7 am: 12% of 27389 checklists8 am: 9.3% of 24858 checklists9 am: 7.3% of 22012 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 19284 checklists11 am: 5.9% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 4.8% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 4.2% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 5.6% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 7.7% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 7.9% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) 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
January3.1%3.1%3.5%3.1%
February4.2%4.2%5.3%6.8%
March9.5%11%12%15%
April16%19%19%19%
May16%14%12%9.7%
June8.6%8.7%8.3%8.0%
July8.3%8.4%9.7%9.6%
August9.2%11%10%10%
September7.8%4.7%4.3%3.8%
October3.3%3.5%3.0%2.2%
November2.7%3.9%3.4%2.9%
December2.9%2.9%2.6%2.8%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives the second week of February, 4 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives mid February, 3 weeks earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows arrive in Nevada?
Northern Rough-winged Swallows are in Nevada all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in mid April (19% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late October) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows leave Nevada?
Northern Rough-winged Swallows never fully leave Nevada: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Nevada?
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is reported most often in mid April, on about 19% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Northern Rough-winged Swallows seen most often?
By county, Clark County, Storey County, and Carson City have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Rough-winged Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).