WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Missouri?

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

Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Missouri: the first arrive in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in early October (5.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 5.6% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.8% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.8% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.3% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.4% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.0% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.3% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.3% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.5% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.5% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.3% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.6% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% of 13142 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 Missouri 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Madrid CountyBest late November · 13 checklists that week, 1,138 in all43%
  2. Saline CountyBest late November · 38 checklists that week, 1,137 in all34%
  3. Shannon CountyBest late November · 13 checklists that week, 2,191 in all28%
  4. Scott CountyBest mid December · 31 checklists that week, 1,887 in all23%
  5. Clark CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 302 in all22%
  6. Daviess CountyBest early November · 24 checklists that week, 1,354 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. August A Busch Refuge LakeSt. Charles County, best mid November · 23 checklists that week, 1,945 in all45%
  2. Flynn ParkSt. Louis County, best late December · 48 checklists that week, 1,529 in all30%
  3. Conservation Commission HqCole County, best early January · 21 checklists that week, 739 in all24%
  4. Mark Twain National Forest (northwest)Callaway County, best the second week of March · 25 checklists that week, 122 in all24%
  5. Clear Fork LakeJohnson County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 725 in all21%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 2.0% of 27231 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 64162 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 67854 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 56515 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 47496 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 2.0% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January3.5%3.7%3.4%3.5%
February3.3%2.7%3.1%2.4%
March2.6%2.3%1.9%1.8%
April1.7%1.6%1.6%1.8%
May1.5%0.9%0.2%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September1.3%2.8%3.0%5.3%
October5.4%6.0%5.3%4.7%
November5.0%5.3%5.5%5.5%
December5.3%5.2%3.6%4.4%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Missouri
  • Iowa: arrives mid August, 2 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives early September, in the same week than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives mid August, 2 weeks earlier than Missouri

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Missouri?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Missouri: the first arrive in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in early October (5.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Missouri?
Most Red-breasted Nuthatches have left Missouri by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Missouri?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in early October, on about 5.6% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, New Madrid County, Saline County, and Shannon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).