WhenToBird

Sitta carolinensis · Sittidae

When Do White-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Mississippi?

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

The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 7.8% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 7.8% of Mississippi checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 4836 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.4% of 3323 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 3400 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.4% of 4705 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 3387 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.9% of 3911 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.1% of 4691 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.5% of 3409 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.3% of 3276 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.5% of 3273 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.2% of 3552 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.6% of 5618 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.3% of 4432 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.2% of 4907 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.5% of 5239 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.6% of 7043 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.3% of 4597 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.1% of 4383 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.9% of 3088 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.1% of 3805 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.3% of 2658 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.2% of 2469 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.7% of 2112 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.1% of 2534 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.7% of 2099 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.2% of 1885 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.3% of 1811 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.5% of 2793 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.8% of 2045 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.0% of 2210 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.3% of 2437 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.0% of 3415 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.8% of 2837 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.4% of 2585 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.9% of 2870 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.7% of 3610 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.7% of 2938 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.1% of 3457 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.9% of 3168 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.4% of 3752 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.1% of 2847 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.9% of 2648 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.0% of 2599 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.8% of 3389 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 2419 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.4% of 2526 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.2% of 2966 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.1% of 4466 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest the second week of September · 13 checklists that week, 581 in all51%
  2. Marshall CountyBest late September · 43 checklists that week, 1,345 in all42%
  3. Yalobusha CountyBest mid June · 12 checklists that week, 368 in all42%
  4. Winston CountyBest the second week of August · 10 checklists that week, 382 in all40%
  5. Panola CountyBest early October · 16 checklists that week, 1,311 in all37%
  6. Hinds CountyBest mid May · 193 checklists that week, 9,842 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plymouth BluffLowndes County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 333 in all63%
  2. Dickerson ArmNoxubee County, best early March · 23 checklists that week, 776 in all56%
  3. The DellLafayette County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 431 in all42%
  4. Tishomingo State ParkTishomingo County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 230 in all38%
  5. Wall Doxey State ParkMarshall County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 191 in all38%

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

Best time of day

In Mississippi, the White-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.8% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (54) to judge1 am: too few checklists (48) to judge2 am: too few checklists (28) to judge3 am: too few checklists (60) to judge4 am: too few checklists (114) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1139) to judge6 am: 8.4% of 9054 checklists7 am: 7.5% of 18481 checklists8 am: 6.2% of 17525 checklists9 am: 5.4% of 15482 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 14380 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 12728 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 11009 checklists1 pm: 4.4% of 10651 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 10787 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 11221 checklists4 pm: 6.3% of 11861 checklists5 pm: 6.1% of 8854 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 6018 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2387) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (114) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (63) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (48) 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
January3.8%4.4%3.9%4.4%
February4.4%4.9%5.1%4.5%
March5.3%4.5%5.2%5.6%
April5.3%5.2%6.5%5.6%
May6.3%7.1%6.9%6.1%
June5.3%4.2%5.7%5.1%
July4.7%4.2%4.3%4.5%
August4.8%4.0%4.3%5.0%
September6.8%7.4%6.9%7.7%
October8.7%7.1%5.9%5.4%
November5.1%4.9%4.0%4.8%
December4.3%4.4%6.2%6.1%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks early October
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do White-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Mississippi?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 7.8% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do White-breasted Nuthatches leave Mississippi?
The White-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Mississippi: it is reported all year, from 4.0% of checklists in the second week of January to 7.8% in early October.
When is the best time to see a White-breasted Nuthatch in Mississippi?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in early October, on about 7.8% of Mississippi checklists.
Where in Mississippi are White-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Marshall County, and Yalobusha County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).