WhenToBird

Buteo swainsoni · Accipitridae

When Do Swainson's Hawks Arrive in Nevada?

Adult Swainson's Hawk
Photo: Brooke J., CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Hawks arrive in Nevada in early April, peak in mid April (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: mid April. First arrivals early April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 3.1% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.1% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.1% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.1% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.8% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.3% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.6% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.5% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.7% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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 early May · 144 checklists that week, 3,104 in all25%
  2. Humboldt CountyBest late April · 50 checklists that week, 2,523 in all20%
  3. Pershing CountyBest mid July · 18 checklists that week, 1,407 in all18%
  4. Lander CountyBest late August · 49 checklists that week, 1,413 in all16%
  5. Esmeralda CountyBest late May · 347 checklists that week, 2,275 in all11%
  6. Eureka CountyBest early May · 13 checklists that week, 530 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Swamp SpringClark County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 383 in all14%
  2. Mount PisgahElko County, best the second week of September · 28 checklists that week, 309 in all13%
  3. Pitch Fork CoveClark County, best the second week of April · 45 checklists that week, 1,958 in all12%
  4. South Fork ReservoirElko County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 215 in all8.3%
  5. Corn Creek SpringsClark County, best the second week of April · 164 checklists that week, 6,865 in all7.6%
  6. River Fork Ranch PreserveDouglas County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 371 in all7.1%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Swainson's Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (1.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 2.0% of 4313 checklists6 am: 1.2% of 17070 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 27389 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 24858 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 22012 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 19284 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 1.6% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0%0.3%
April1.2%3.0%3.1%3.1%
May2.3%2.1%2.9%3.0%
June2.0%1.8%2.0%1.7%
July1.3%1.9%2.2%2.0%
August1.1%1.6%2.5%2.0%
September1.7%1.3%0.8%0.6%
October0.4%0.4%0.1%0%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives the second week of March, 3 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives early April, in the same week than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives early April, in the same week than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do Swainson's Hawks arrive in Nevada?
Swainson's Hawks arrive in Nevada in early April, peak in mid April (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Swainson's Hawks leave Nevada?
Most Swainson's Hawks have left Nevada by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Hawk in Nevada?
The Swainson's Hawk is reported most often in mid April, on about 3.1% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Swainson's Hawks seen most often?
By county, Churchill County, Humboldt County, and Pershing County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).