WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Texas?

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

Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Texas: they arrive in late September, peak in late November (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: late November. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 1.2% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shelby CountyBest mid November · 11 checklists that week, 1,347 in all26%
  2. Red River CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 1,179 in all18%
  3. Houston CountyBest the second week of December · 53 checklists that week, 2,934 in all16%
  4. Yoakum CountyBest early October · 11 checklists that week, 333 in all14%
  5. Wise CountyBest late December · 73 checklists that week, 4,530 in all14%
  6. Crockett CountyBest late November · 23 checklists that week, 1,558 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Canyon Lake Number 6Lubbock County, best early December · 24 checklists that week, 466 in all41%
  2. Kleb Woods Nature PreserveHarris County, best mid November · 48 checklists that week, 2,928 in all36%
  3. Memorial Park (west)El Paso County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 824 in all34%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 74687 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 285131 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 329960 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 267889 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 218205 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January0.9%0.8%0.8%0.7%
February0.7%0.7%0.7%0.6%
March0.6%0.5%0.6%0.4%
April0.4%0.3%0.3%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%0.3%
October0.6%0.7%0.9%1.3%
November1.2%1.0%1.2%1.1%
December1.2%1.0%1.1%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives early October, 1 week later than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives late September, in the same week than Texas

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Texas?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Texas: they arrive in late September, peak in late November (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Texas?
Most Red-breasted Nuthatches have left Texas by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Texas?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in late November, on about 1.2% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Shelby County, Red River County, and Houston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).