WhenToBird

Rallus limicola · Rallidae

When Do Virginia Rails Arrive in Nevada?

Adult Virginia Rail
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Virginia Rails reach Nevada in late June, are common by the second week of July, peak in early September (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early September. First arrivals late June; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 3.6% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.5% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.5% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.7% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.4% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.2% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.8% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.1% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.8% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.5% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.4% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.1% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.1% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.4% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.6% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.3% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.5% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% 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. Carson CityBest early September · 106 checklists that week, 6,992 in all15%
  2. Mineral CountyBest the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 1,635 in all11%
  3. Churchill CountyBest mid September · 39 checklists that week, 3,104 in all9.2%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest late April · 163 checklists that week, 3,842 in all8.4%
  5. Humboldt CountyBest mid December · 131 checklists that week, 2,523 in all7.2%
  6. Washoe CountyBest early September · 777 checklists that week, 53,497 in all6.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nevada State Maximum Security PrisonCarson City, best late July · 32 checklists that week, 1,008 in all69%
  2. Swan Lake/Lemmon ValleyWashoe County, best late July · 31 checklists that week, 1,492 in all53%
  3. Torrance RanchNye County, best mid May · 29 checklists that week, 239 in all33%
  4. Washoe Lake State Park (South Beach)Washoe County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 365 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Virginia Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 2.2% of 4313 checklists6 am: 2.7% of 17070 checklists7 am: 3.5% of 27389 checklists8 am: 2.9% of 24858 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 22012 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 19284 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 1.9% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 2.7% 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
January2.4%1.7%1.7%1.9%
February1.8%1.8%1.2%2.2%
March1.7%2.3%2.5%2.4%
April2.5%3.1%2.5%2.7%
May2.4%1.8%1.6%1.6%
June1.2%1.2%1.5%1.2%
July1.5%1.9%2.8%3.1%
August2.8%2.8%3.5%3.4%
September3.2%4.1%3.1%3.4%
October3.6%3.6%3.3%3.1%
November3.2%3.3%3.5%3.1%
December3.1%2.4%2.7%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives mid July, 3 weeks later than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives mid July, 3 weeks later than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives mid February, 17 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives late August, 8 weeks later than Nevada

Common questions

When do Virginia Rails arrive in Nevada?
Virginia Rails reach Nevada in late June, are common by the second week of July, peak in early September (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Virginia Rails leave Nevada?
Most Virginia Rails have left Nevada by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Virginia Rail in Nevada?
The Virginia Rail is reported most often in early September, on about 3.6% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Virginia Rails seen most often?
By county, Carson City, Mineral County, and Churchill County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Virginia Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).