WhenToBird

Sitta carolinensis · Sittidae

When Do White-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Kentucky?

Adult White-breasted Nuthatch
Photo: S Boisvert, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 23% in its quietest week (mid May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 15-21mid September
Quietest weekMay 15-21mid May

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 38% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  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%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 28% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 25% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 24% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 25% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 26% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 25% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 27% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 28% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 28% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 27% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 25% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 23% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 25% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 25% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 25% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 24% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 25% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 29% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 37% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 38% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 38% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 37% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 33% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 32% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 30% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 29% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 29% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 27% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 30% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 30% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 31% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spencer CountyBest early December · 130 checklists that week, 7,721 in all90%
  2. Pike CountyBest the second week of March · 12 checklists that week, 402 in all86%
  3. Jackson CountyBest early January · 13 checklists that week, 344 in all81%
  4. Hickman CountyBest late August · 14 checklists that week, 207 in all78%
  5. Adair CountyBest mid September · 19 checklists that week, 903 in all76%
  6. Estill CountyBest early January · 10 checklists that week, 382 in all74%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Henderson County Preserve 01Henderson County, best the second week of October · 30 checklists that week, 955 in all91%
  2. Harrods Creek ParkJefferson County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 699 in all90%
  3. Floracliff Nature SanctuaryFayette County, best early December · 22 checklists that week, 730 in all86%
  4. AJ Jolly Park and Golf CourseCampbell County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 499 in all83%
  5. Willow LakeJefferson County, best the second week of January · 22 checklists that week, 1,890 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the White-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (35% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 30% of 8227 checklists7 am: 32% of 24608 checklists8 am: 36% of 36577 checklists9 am: 34% of 34626 checklists10 am: 29% of 28796 checklists11 am: 27% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 26% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 25% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 25% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 24% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 24% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 22% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 21% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 17% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January28%28%26%25%
February28%27%26%24%
March25%26%25%24%
April27%28%28%27%
May25%24%24%23%
June26%26%26%25%
July25%25%24%24%
August24%25%25%29%
September33%37%38%38%
October37%34%33%32%
November30%29%29%31%
December27%30%30%31%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks late September
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Ohio: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do White-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Kentucky?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 23% in its quietest week (mid May).
When do White-breasted Nuthatches leave Kentucky?
The White-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Kentucky: it is reported all year, from 23% of checklists in mid May to 38% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a White-breasted Nuthatch in Kentucky?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in mid September, on about 38% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are White-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Spencer County, Pike County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).