WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Wisconsin all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in the second week of September (20% of checklists), and fall back by mid December. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 6.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 22-31late August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Fall back byDec 15-21mid December
FewestJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: the second week of September. Here all year; numbers build from late August and fall back by mid December. Peak: on about 20% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  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: 11% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 13% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.3% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.5% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.8% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.5% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.2% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.5% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.5% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.6% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.7% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.3% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.9% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.9% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.7% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.8% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.9% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.2% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.0% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.8% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.5% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.5% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.4% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.0% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 19% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Langlade CountyBest early March · 66 checklists that week, 5,023 in all76%
  2. Iron CountyBest early December · 65 checklists that week, 5,981 in all74%
  3. Vilas CountyBest the second week of December · 117 checklists that week, 16,082 in all67%
  4. Jackson CountyBest late September · 56 checklists that week, 3,223 in all63%
  5. Price CountyBest the second week of January · 60 checklists that week, 5,795 in all54%
  6. Sawyer CountyBest the second week of December · 35 checklists that week, 7,502 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Statenaker LakeVilas County, best late December · 37 checklists that week, 2,030 in all94%
  2. Point Beach State ForestManitowoc County, best the second week of September · 26 checklists that week, 564 in all89%
  3. John Michael Kohler State ParkSheboygan County, best late November · 30 checklists that week, 1,206 in all76%
  4. Grant ParkMilwaukee County, best early December · 69 checklists that week, 1,876 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 12% of 27016 checklists6 am: 15% of 83973 checklists7 am: 16% of 160717 checklists8 am: 14% of 160531 checklists9 am: 12% of 136968 checklists10 am: 10% of 119110 checklists11 am: 9.3% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 9.0% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 8.5% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 8.0% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 7.6% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 6.2% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 5.9% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 4.6% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January11%12%12%12%
February13%13%13%11%
March9.3%8.5%7.8%7.5%
April7.2%7.5%7.5%7.6%
May8.7%8.3%7.9%6.9%
June5.7%5.8%6.9%7.2%
July8.0%7.8%7.5%7.5%
August8.4%9.0%11%15%
September19%20%19%19%
October18%16%15%14%
November15%15%15%15%
December15%14%12%14%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives late August, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Wisconsin?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Wisconsin all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in the second week of September (20% of checklists), and fall back by mid December. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 6.1% of checklists.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Wisconsin?
Red-breasted Nuthatches never fully leave Wisconsin: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid December, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Wisconsin?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 20% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Langlade County, Iron County, and Vilas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).