WhenToBird

Falco mexicanus · Falconidae

When Do Prairie Falcons Arrive in Nevada?

Adult Prairie Falcon
Photo: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Prairie Falcons are winter birds in Nevada: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by early September, peak in the second week of December (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 2.0% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.6% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.8% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.1% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% 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. Churchill CountyBest late December · 35 checklists that week, 3,104 in all11%
  2. Humboldt CountyBest late March · 49 checklists that week, 2,523 in all6.3%
  3. White Pine CountyBest early February · 22 checklists that week, 5,465 in all6.1%
  4. Lander CountyBest early March · 15 checklists that week, 1,413 in all6.1%
  5. Elko CountyBest mid December · 104 checklists that week, 8,844 in all6.0%
  6. Eureka CountyBest late April · 17 checklists that week, 530 in all5.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Truckee River OutletWashoe County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 369 in all17%
  2. Island LakeElko County, best early August · 25 checklists that week, 340 in all15%
  3. South Branch Carson RiverChurchill County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 269 in all9.8%
  4. Swan Lake/Lemmon ValleyWashoe County, best mid December · 21 checklists that week, 1,492 in all8.8%
  5. Warm SpringsClark County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 281 in all8.6%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Prairie Falcon is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.8% of 4313 checklists6 am: 0.9% of 17070 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 27389 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 24858 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 22012 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 19284 checklists11 am: 1.4% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 0.8% 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
January1.6%1.8%2.2%1.6%
February1.8%1.3%1.3%1.6%
March1.3%1.1%1.1%0.8%
April0.9%0.8%0.9%0.9%
May0.7%0.6%1.0%0.8%
June0.8%0.8%0.9%0.9%
July0.6%0.9%0.8%1.0%
August0.6%0.5%0.7%0.9%
September0.8%0.9%1.2%1.5%
October1.0%1.2%1.1%1.6%
November1.8%1.5%1.5%1.8%
December1.8%2.1%2.2%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Utah: arrives late August, 1 week later than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives early September, 2 weeks later than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives the second week of September, 3 weeks later than Nevada
  • Wyoming: year-round, peaks late July

Common questions

When do Prairie Falcons arrive in Nevada?
Prairie Falcons are winter birds in Nevada: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by early September, peak in the second week of December (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Prairie Falcons leave Nevada?
Most Prairie Falcons have left Nevada by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early August.
When is the best time to see a Prairie Falcon in Nevada?
The Prairie Falcon is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 2.0% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Prairie Falcons seen most often?
By county, Churchill County, Humboldt County, and White Pine County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Prairie Falcon (counties with at least 200 checklists).