WhenToBird

Columba livia · Columbidae

When Do Rock Pigeons Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Rock Pigeon
Photo: Paul Braun, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Rock Pigeon is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 8.8% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 4.8% in its quietest week (the second week of May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 8-14the second week of December
Quietest weekMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of December. Here all year. Peak: on about 8.8% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 8.4% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.4% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.9% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.7% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.3% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.5% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.9% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.4% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.2% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.8% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.1% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.7% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.7% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.5% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.2% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.8% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.8% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.9% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.7% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.9% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.2% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.7% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.6% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.1% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.9% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.5% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.4% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.1% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.4% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.2% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.6% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.5% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.0% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.5% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.1% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.7% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.7% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.0% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.8% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.5% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.3% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.1% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.6% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.1% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheyenne CountyBest the second week of August · 12 checklists that week, 766 in all44%
  2. Box Butte CountyBest mid November · 10 checklists that week, 514 in all41%
  3. Wayne CountyBest the second week of November · 29 checklists that week, 1,960 in all37%
  4. Red Willow CountyBest early June · 10 checklists that week, 594 in all35%
  5. Holt CountyBest the second week of September · 12 checklists that week, 465 in all33%
  6. Cedar CountyBest the second week of January · 29 checklists that week, 1,691 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Broyhill FountainLancaster County, best the second week of February · 21 checklists that week, 523 in all77%
  2. Janicek ReservoirKimball County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 173 in all75%
  3. Kea Lake Wildlife Management AreaBuffalo County, best late March · 41 checklists that week, 188 in all62%
  4. Jack Sinn Memorial Wildlife Management Area (North Fork Rock Creek)Lancaster County, best early August · 21 checklists that week, 228 in all45%
  5. Yanney Heritage ParkBuffalo County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 358 in all43%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Rock Pigeon is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.4% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 8.3% of 6945 checklists7 am: 7.0% of 19066 checklists8 am: 7.4% of 24661 checklists9 am: 6.4% of 23438 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 20424 checklists11 am: 5.9% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 6.3% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 6.8% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 7.4% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 7.0% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 6.6% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 5.3% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 4.3% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January8.4%8.4%7.9%7.7%
February7.3%5.5%5.9%7.2%
March7.4%7.2%6.8%7.1%
April5.7%6.7%5.5%5.2%
May4.8%4.8%4.9%5.7%
June4.6%4.9%6.2%5.7%
July6.1%6.6%7.1%6.9%
August7.5%7.4%8.1%7.4%
September8.2%7.6%7.5%8.0%
October8.5%7.1%6.7%7.7%
November8.0%7.7%6.8%6.5%
December8.3%8.1%9.6%6.1%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks early August
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks late December
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of August

Common questions

When do Rock Pigeons arrive in Nebraska?
The Rock Pigeon is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 8.8% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 4.8% in its quietest week (the second week of May).
When do Rock Pigeons leave Nebraska?
The Rock Pigeon does not leave Nebraska: it is reported all year, from 4.8% of checklists in the second week of May to 8.8% in the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Rock Pigeon in Nebraska?
The Rock Pigeon is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 8.8% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Rock Pigeons seen most often?
By county, Cheyenne County, Box Butte County, and Wayne County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rock Pigeon (counties with at least 200 checklists).