WhenToBird

Sitta carolinensis · Sittidae

When Do White-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Utah?

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

The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Utah all year. It turns up on about 2.4% of checklists at its peak (the second week of August) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (late February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekAug 8-14the second week of August
Quietest weekFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of August. Here all year. Peak: on about 2.4% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.3% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.6% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.6% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.0% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.8% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.3% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.3% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.3% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.5% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Daggett CountyBest late January · 14 checklists that week, 1,885 in all29%
  2. Kane CountyBest mid August · 139 checklists that week, 6,105 in all25%
  3. Garfield CountyBest early July · 202 checklists that week, 10,367 in all22%
  4. San Juan CountyBest late August · 135 checklists that week, 6,877 in all9.5%
  5. Beaver CountyBest mid August · 103 checklists that week, 6,956 in all7.3%
  6. Washington CountyBest the second week of August · 447 checklists that week, 43,893 in all7.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Zion National Park (Goose Creek Knoll)Washington County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 299 in all60%
  2. Westminster ParkSalt Lake County, best late October · 49 checklists that week, 140 in all56%
  3. Pine Valley ReservoirWashington County, best late April · 32 checklists that week, 265 in all50%
  4. Bryce Canyon National Park (Yovimpa Point)Kane County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 416 in all43%
  5. Bryce Canyon National ParkGarfield County, best late June · 30 checklists that week, 536 in all37%
  6. Zion National Park (Pine Valley Peak)Washington County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 140 in all32%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the White-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 2.4% of 11714 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 33209 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 46944 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 46290 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 43144 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.8% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January1.2%1.3%1.3%1.3%
February1.0%1.2%0.9%1.1%
March1.1%1.0%1.4%1.2%
April1.0%0.9%1.1%1.4%
May1.2%1.3%1.0%1.3%
June1.3%1.4%1.6%1.7%
July1.6%2.0%2.0%1.8%
August2.4%2.3%2.4%2.3%
September2.3%2.4%2.3%2.1%
October2.0%2.5%2.0%2.0%
November1.7%1.5%1.3%1.4%
December1.2%1.3%1.1%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: winter visitor, peaks mid December
  • Nevada: summer visitor, peaks the second week of July
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks early September
  • Idaho: summer visitor, peaks early September

Common questions

When do White-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Utah?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Utah all year. It turns up on about 2.4% of checklists at its peak (the second week of August) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (late February).
When do White-breasted Nuthatches leave Utah?
The White-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Utah: it is reported all year, from 1.0% of checklists in late February to 2.4% in the second week of August.
When is the best time to see a White-breasted Nuthatch in Utah?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 2.4% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are White-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Daggett County, Kane County, and Garfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).