WhenToBird

Loxia curvirostra · Fringillidae

When Do Red Crossbills Arrive in Washington?

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

Red Crossbills reach Washington in late February, are common by mid March, peak in late July (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakJul 22-31late July
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: late July. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 5.2% of Washington checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.8% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.8% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.0% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.4% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.6% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.8% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.8% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.5% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.8% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.9% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.2% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.7% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.1% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.0% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.4% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.1% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.8% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.3% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.0% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.5% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.1% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.6% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.5% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.4% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.5% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.0% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.6% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ferry CountyBest early August · 89 checklists that week, 5,106 in all27%
  2. Pend Oreille CountyBest late July · 180 checklists that week, 3,664 in all21%
  3. Columbia CountyBest the second week of August · 25 checklists that week, 1,894 in all21%
  4. Garfield CountyBest the second week of July · 16 checklists that week, 1,130 in all20%
  5. Spokane CountyBest early July · 841 checklists that week, 43,379 in all20%
  6. Mason CountyBest early August · 484 checklists that week, 27,853 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kamiak Butte County ParkWhitman County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 473 in all65%
  2. Cape DisappointmentPacific County, best the second week of February · 27 checklists that week, 729 in all54%
  3. Liberty CreekSpokane County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 449 in all47%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Red Crossbill is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 5.9% of 56744 checklists7 am: 4.5% of 133294 checklists8 am: 3.7% of 184196 checklists9 am: 3.3% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 177063 checklists11 am: 2.5% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 1.8% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 1.7% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January1.6%1.7%1.8%1.8%
February1.4%1.6%1.5%1.6%
March2.0%1.9%1.9%2.2%
April2.1%2.0%2.4%2.6%
May2.5%2.8%2.9%3.8%
June3.5%3.8%3.9%4.2%
July4.7%5.1%5.1%5.0%
August5.4%5.1%4.8%4.3%
September4.0%3.5%3.1%2.9%
October2.6%2.5%2.4%2.5%
November2.0%1.9%1.6%1.7%
December1.8%1.6%1.8%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early March, 1 week later than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives mid April, 7 weeks later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives late June, 16 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives mid January, 5 weeks earlier than Washington

Common questions

When do Red Crossbills arrive in Washington?
Red Crossbills reach Washington in late February, are common by mid March, peak in late July (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Red Crossbills leave Washington?
Most Red Crossbills have left Washington by early 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 Washington?
The Red Crossbill is reported most often in late July, on about 5.2% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Red Crossbills seen most often?
By county, Ferry County, Pend Oreille County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red Crossbill (counties with at least 200 checklists).