WhenToBird

Loxia curvirostra · Fringillidae

When Do Red Crossbills Arrive in Minnesota?

Adult male Red Crossbill
Photo: Leslie Alanís, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red Crossbills are winter birds in Minnesota: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in early November (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: early November. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 1.2% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.6% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kittson CountyBest late December · 12 checklists that week, 1,272 in all19%
  2. Roseau CountyBest mid January · 17 checklists that week, 1,453 in all11%
  3. Koochiching CountyBest the second week of December · 24 checklists that week, 2,281 in all11%
  4. Hubbard CountyBest early February · 63 checklists that week, 5,131 in all10%
  5. Clearwater CountyBest mid March · 11 checklists that week, 2,315 in all9.5%
  6. Dodge CountyBest early January · 19 checklists that week, 1,179 in all8.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hawk Ridge (Goose Lake)St. Louis County, best early November · 20 checklists that week, 314 in all47%
  2. Stony PointSt. Louis County, best the second week of August · 51 checklists that week, 1,825 in all39%
  3. Kabekona LakeHubbard County, best the second week of February · 39 checklists that week, 1,402 in all18%
  4. CliftonSt. Louis County, best mid October · 37 checklists that week, 829 in all17%
  5. Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Jensen Lake)Dakota County, best mid January · 21 checklists that week, 381 in all15%
  6. Hawk RidgeSt. Louis County, best late November · 50 checklists that week, 2,979 in all15%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Red Crossbill is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 35775 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 90565 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 110612 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 106128 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 96131 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January0.5%0.5%0.6%0.4%
February0.5%0.6%0.4%0.6%
March0.4%0.4%0.4%0.2%
April0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.2%0.1%0.2%
July0.2%0.3%0.4%0.4%
August0.4%0.4%0.6%0.5%
September0.4%0.3%0.2%0.2%
October0.2%0.2%0.6%1.3%
November1.1%1.1%1.0%0.8%
December0.5%0.5%0.5%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives late April, 22 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives mid August, 7 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • Nebraska: arrives late April, 22 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of December, 8 weeks later than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Red Crossbills arrive in Minnesota?
Red Crossbills are winter birds in Minnesota: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in early November (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Red Crossbills leave Minnesota?
Most Red Crossbills have left Minnesota by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red Crossbill in Minnesota?
The Red Crossbill is reported most often in early November, on about 1.2% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Red Crossbills seen most often?
By county, Kittson County, Roseau County, and Koochiching County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red Crossbill (counties with at least 200 checklists).