WhenToBird

Aythya americana · Anatidae

When Do Redheads Arrive in Nevada?

Adult female Redhead
Photo: sophia_herrmeyer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Redheads are in Nevada all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early January, peak in mid March (12% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 4.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJan 1-7early January
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byMay 1-7early May
FewestJul 1-7early July

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from early January and fall back by early May. Peak: on about 12% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.4% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.3% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.2% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.6% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.9% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.5% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.8% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.9% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.9% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.0% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.9% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.0% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.6% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.2% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.1% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.6% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.0% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.9% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.1% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.9% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.8% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.1% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.4% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.0% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.3% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.2% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.5% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.2% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.7% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.1% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.0% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.2% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.6% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.4% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.4% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.8% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.7% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.3% of 5101 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 Nevada 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 Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Churchill CountyBest the second week of May · 107 checklists that week, 3,104 in all27%
  2. Pershing CountyBest the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 1,407 in all20%
  3. Eureka CountyBest mid April · 22 checklists that week, 530 in all19%
  4. Clark CountyBest the second week of March · 1732 checklists that week, 80,458 in all18%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest early May · 109 checklists that week, 3,842 in all17%
  6. White Pine CountyBest late April · 157 checklists that week, 5,465 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hemenway HarborClark County, best mid January · 30 checklists that week, 687 in all98%
  2. Sunset Park Recreation CenterClark County, best late November · 38 checklists that week, 1,997 in all90%
  3. Crystal ReservoirNye County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 950 in all90%
  4. Bird Viewing PreserveClark County, best late March · 327 checklists that week, 9,268 in all81%
  5. Cornerstone ParkClark County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 1,000 in all81%
  6. Steptoe Valley Wildlife Management AreaWhite Pine County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 370 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Redhead is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 4.2% of 4313 checklists6 am: 9.2% of 17070 checklists7 am: 11% of 27389 checklists8 am: 8.0% of 24858 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 22012 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 19284 checklists11 am: 7.6% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 7.8% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 7.0% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 6.7% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 6.4% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 5.2% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 4.6% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) 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
January9.4%9.3%8.2%9.6%
February11%8.9%9.5%11%
March11%11%11%12%
April10%9.8%10%9.9%
May8.9%7.0%6.9%6.0%
June5.6%5.2%5.1%4.6%
July4.0%5.0%5.9%6.1%
August4.9%5.8%5.1%5.4%
September5.0%5.3%6.2%5.5%
October5.2%4.7%6.1%8.0%
November7.2%8.6%8.1%7.4%
December7.4%8.8%5.7%7.3%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives the second week of October, 11 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives late September, 13 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives early September, 16 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives late August, 17 weeks earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do Redheads arrive in Nevada?
Redheads are in Nevada all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early January, peak in mid March (12% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 4.5% of checklists.
When do Redheads leave Nevada?
Redheads never fully leave Nevada: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early May, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Redhead in Nevada?
The Redhead is reported most often in mid March, on about 12% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Redheads seen most often?
By county, Churchill County, Pershing County, and Eureka County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Redhead (counties with at least 200 checklists).