WhenToBird

Sitta pygmaea · Sittidae

When Do Pygmy Nuthatches Arrive in Arizona?

Adult Pygmy Nuthatch
Photo: Casey H. Richart, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pygmy Nuthatches reach Arizona in the second week of February, are common by early April, peak in late August (7.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: late August. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 7.9% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.3% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.4% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.8% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.2% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.9% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.0% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.9% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.2% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.6% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.2% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.2% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.0% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.9% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.4% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.0% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.0% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.2% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.7% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.9% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.5% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.3% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.7% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.7% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.9% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.6% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.3% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.3% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.4% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.0% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.2% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coconino CountyBest mid August · 1933 checklists that week, 90,870 in all37%
  2. Navajo CountyBest late August · 653 checklists that week, 18,838 in all30%
  3. Greenlee CountyBest early July · 132 checklists that week, 2,745 in all25%
  4. Apache CountyBest early July · 326 checklists that week, 12,931 in all24%
  5. Gila CountyBest early July · 236 checklists that week, 14,834 in all16%
  6. Graham CountyBest the second week of August · 180 checklists that week, 9,876 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rose Canyon LakePima County, best mid December · 23 checklists that week, 3,908 in all90%
  2. Elden SpringCoconino County, best mid February · 31 checklists that week, 1,786 in all90%
  3. Soldier CampPima County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 468 in all86%
  4. Flagstaff City ReservoirsCoconino County, best mid August · 21 checklists that week, 450 in all86%
  5. Upper Rustler SpringCochise County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 1,976 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Pygmy Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (4.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 4.0% of 38350 checklists6 am: 4.3% of 118786 checklists7 am: 4.5% of 183415 checklists8 am: 4.5% of 187346 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 151342 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 124522 checklists11 am: 4.3% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 4.3% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 3.2% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 2.7% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January1.7%1.5%1.6%1.6%
February1.9%2.1%2.1%2.2%
March2.3%2.3%2.4%2.8%
April3.2%3.9%4.0%3.9%
May3.9%4.2%4.6%5.2%
June6.2%7.0%6.9%7.4%
July8.0%8.0%7.2%6.7%
August6.9%7.5%8.3%7.7%
September7.7%6.9%6.6%6.3%
October5.3%4.4%4.0%3.6%
November3.0%2.7%2.2%2.1%
December2.2%2.2%2.2%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Nevada: arrives early January, 5 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Utah: arrives mid March, 5 weeks later than Arizona
  • California: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Pygmy Nuthatches arrive in Arizona?
Pygmy Nuthatches reach Arizona in the second week of February, are common by early April, peak in late August (7.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Pygmy Nuthatches leave Arizona?
Most Pygmy Nuthatches have left Arizona by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Pygmy Nuthatch in Arizona?
The Pygmy Nuthatch is reported most often in late August, on about 7.9% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Pygmy Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Coconino County, Navajo County, and Greenlee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pygmy Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).