WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Nevada?

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

Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Nevada all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in early October (8.2% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakOct 1-7early October
Fall back byOct 22-31late October
FewestMar 15-21mid March

Best: early October. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of August and fall back by late October. Peak: on about 8.2% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.2% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.3% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.3% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.8% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.4% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.4% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.7% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.0% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.8% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.9% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.4% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.1% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.4% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.6% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.6% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.4% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.3% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.8% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.5% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.4% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.4% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.7% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.2% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.0% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.4% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.3% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.3% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.9% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.9% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% 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. White Pine CountyBest the second week of September · 157 checklists that week, 5,465 in all26%
  2. Douglas CountyBest the second week of July · 119 checklists that week, 7,476 in all20%
  3. Storey CountyBest the second week of September · 46 checklists that week, 1,593 in all19%
  4. Pershing CountyBest the second week of September · 66 checklists that week, 1,407 in all18%
  5. Humboldt CountyBest early September · 102 checklists that week, 2,523 in all15%
  6. Elko CountyBest late September · 183 checklists that week, 8,844 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spooner LakeDouglas County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 634 in all60%
  2. Mount PisgahElko County, best the second week of September · 28 checklists that week, 309 in all50%
  3. Incline Lake (historical)Washoe County, best late July · 26 checklists that week, 261 in all49%
  4. Davis Creek Regional ParkWashoe County, best the second week of January · 21 checklists that week, 992 in all44%
  5. Brown LakeWhite Pine County, best early August · 30 checklists that week, 231 in all42%
  6. Spring Mountains National Recreation AreaClark County, best late August · 33 checklists that week, 748 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (5.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 3.5% of 4313 checklists6 am: 4.4% of 17070 checklists7 am: 4.8% of 27389 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 24858 checklists9 am: 5.2% of 22012 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 19284 checklists11 am: 3.8% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 3.0% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 2.5% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 2.1% 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
January3.2%3.8%3.0%3.3%
February2.9%2.7%2.9%2.8%
March2.3%2.3%2.6%2.2%
April2.9%3.0%3.5%2.8%
May3.4%3.4%2.5%2.4%
June3.1%2.7%4.0%4.8%
July4.9%5.4%4.1%3.8%
August5.4%5.6%5.6%6.4%
September7.3%6.8%7.5%8.4%
October8.4%7.7%7.2%5.0%
November4.4%3.4%4.3%3.3%
December2.9%2.8%2.9%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives early July, 5 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Arizona: arrives early April, 17 weeks earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Nevada?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Nevada all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in early October (8.2% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Nevada?
Red-breasted Nuthatches never fully leave Nevada: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late October, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Nevada?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in early October, on about 8.2% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, White Pine County, Douglas County, and Storey County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).