WhenToBird

Loxia curvirostra · Fringillidae

When Do Red Crossbills Arrive in Oregon?

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

Red Crossbills reach Oregon in early March, are common by early May, peak in early August (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: early August. First arrivals early March; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 6.3% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.4% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.1% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.5% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.9% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.7% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.5% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.7% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.2% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.2% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.4% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.5% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.8% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.1% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.0% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.6% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.6% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.3% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.3% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.0% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.9% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.0% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Deschutes CountyBest the second week of August · 1496 checklists that week, 86,260 in all26%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest early August · 159 checklists that week, 11,014 in all16%
  3. Wallowa CountyBest late July · 258 checklists that week, 9,170 in all15%
  4. Grant CountyBest mid July · 180 checklists that week, 6,818 in all15%
  5. Klamath CountyBest late August · 716 checklists that week, 26,875 in all15%
  6. Tillamook CountyBest early August · 988 checklists that week, 45,809 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cabin LakeLake County, best mid July · 23 checklists that week, 778 in all87%
  2. Deschutes River Segment C (northwest)Deschutes County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 441 in all82%
  3. Upper Tumalo ReservoirDeschutes County, best late August · 53 checklists that week, 891 in all74%
  4. Newberry National Volcanic MonumentDeschutes County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 408 in all71%
  5. Swash LakeClatsop County, best mid January · 23 checklists that week, 329 in all69%
  6. Whiskey SpringJefferson County, best late July · 27 checklists that week, 435 in all66%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Red Crossbill is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 5.4% of 50677 checklists7 am: 4.5% of 125347 checklists8 am: 4.4% of 163668 checklists9 am: 3.9% of 160351 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 148940 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 1.4% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.0% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January1.2%1.5%1.5%1.5%
February1.3%1.3%1.1%1.5%
March1.4%1.6%1.5%2.1%
April1.9%1.6%2.1%2.1%
May2.0%2.5%2.9%3.4%
June3.9%3.7%4.5%5.1%
July4.7%5.1%6.2%6.2%
August6.4%6.5%5.8%5.1%
September5.0%4.6%3.6%3.3%
October3.3%3.1%3.0%2.9%
November2.0%2.3%2.2%2.4%
December2.0%1.8%2.5%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives mid April, 6 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives mid January, 6 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Montana: arrives late June, 15 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Red Crossbills arrive in Oregon?
Red Crossbills reach Oregon in early March, are common by early May, peak in early August (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Red Crossbills leave Oregon?
Most Red Crossbills have left Oregon by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Red Crossbill in Oregon?
The Red Crossbill is reported most often in early August, on about 6.3% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Red Crossbills seen most often?
By county, Deschutes County, Jefferson County, and Wallowa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red Crossbill (counties with at least 200 checklists).