WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Idaho?

Adult Red-breasted Nuthatch
Photo: Joshua Liverman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 27% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 13% in its quietest week (late May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 15-21mid September
Quietest weekMay 22-31late May

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 27% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 15% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 16% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 18% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 16% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 15% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 18% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 26% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 27% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 25% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 23% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 22% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 20% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 21% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 18% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest early February · 82 checklists that week, 5,826 in all77%
  2. Bonner CountyBest the second week of October · 159 checklists that week, 10,972 in all70%
  3. Benewah CountyBest late March · 49 checklists that week, 2,541 in all68%
  4. Boundary CountyBest early April · 90 checklists that week, 6,362 in all57%
  5. Latah CountyBest mid September · 520 checklists that week, 31,064 in all55%
  6. Kootenai CountyBest mid September · 99 checklists that week, 8,249 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Arboretum & Botanical GardenLatah County, best early September · 63 checklists that week, 2,190 in all92%
  2. Rollandet ParkBonneville County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 125 in all83%
  3. Sawtooth National ForestCassia County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 885 in all82%
  4. Mason CreekCanyon County, best mid September · 24 checklists that week, 1,694 in all81%
  5. Fall CreekValley County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 539 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (27% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 29% of 9122 checklists7 am: 27% of 22204 checklists8 am: 28% of 38672 checklists9 am: 21% of 38930 checklists10 am: 19% of 37338 checklists11 am: 17% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 16% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 14% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 12% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 11% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 10% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 10% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 10% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 8.6% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January15%17%16%15%
February16%18%16%15%
March16%15%15%13%
April14%14%13%14%
May13%13%13%13%
June13%14%16%16%
July17%18%19%20%
August20%24%23%25%
September26%27%25%28%
October26%23%24%23%
November21%20%22%20%
December21%19%18%16%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: year-round, peaks late August
  • Utah: all year, most in fall, peaks mid August
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early September
  • Washington: year-round, peaks late August

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Idaho?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 27% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 13% in its quietest week (late May).
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Idaho?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Idaho: it is reported all year, from 13% of checklists in late May to 27% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Idaho?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in mid September, on about 27% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Bonner County, and Benewah County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).