WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late August, peak in late November (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: late November. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 11% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.5% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.9% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.9% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.7% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.0% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.7% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.7% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.5% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.4% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.8% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.7% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.0% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.7% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.6% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.8% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.9% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.1% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.6% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.3% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.5% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.2% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.0% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.9% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.2% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.8% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.4% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.4% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.9% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. York CountyBest the second week of December · 25 checklists that week, 1,922 in all65%
  2. Wayne CountyBest the second week of September · 24 checklists that week, 1,960 in all54%
  3. Sheridan CountyBest mid December · 12 checklists that week, 1,695 in all43%
  4. Chase CountyBest the second week of February · 11 checklists that week, 519 in all42%
  5. Thomas CountyBest late August · 17 checklists that week, 610 in all34%
  6. Cherry CountyBest late December · 34 checklists that week, 3,940 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Janicek ReservoirKimball County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 173 in all65%
  2. Wildcat Hills State Recreation AreaScotts Bluff County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 828 in all65%
  3. Chadron State ParkDawes County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 425 in all61%
  4. Cottonmill Lake State Recreation AreaBuffalo County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 587 in all52%
  5. Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area (east)Scotts Bluff County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 320 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (6.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 5.1% of 6945 checklists7 am: 6.7% of 19066 checklists8 am: 6.8% of 24661 checklists9 am: 5.9% of 23438 checklists10 am: 5.9% of 20424 checklists11 am: 5.4% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 5.5% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 4.5% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 4.2% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 3.1% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 1.2% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January9.5%7.9%7.9%7.7%
February7.0%8.7%7.7%5.5%
March4.0%3.4%3.3%2.8%
April2.7%2.7%2.0%2.7%
May3.0%2.3%2.0%2.7%
June2.1%2.1%2.7%1.6%
July1.4%1.4%1.4%1.8%
August1.7%1.9%3.1%4.6%
September8.3%7.5%8.2%9.0%
October8.9%9.2%8.8%9.4%
November9.4%9.9%12%11%
December10%11%10%11%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early September, 3 weeks later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives early September, 3 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Nebraska?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late August, peak in late November (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Nebraska?
Most Red-breasted Nuthatches have left Nebraska by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Nebraska?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in late November, on about 11% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, York County, Wayne County, and Sheridan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).