WhenToBird

Aeronautes saxatalis · Apodidae

When Do White-throated Swifts Arrive in California?

Adult White-throated Swift
Photo: Guillermo Roque, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-throated Swifts reach California in late October, are common by the second week of December, peak in late May (6.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: late May. First arrivals late October; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 6.8% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.7% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.5% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.5% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.3% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.8% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.5% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.2% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.8% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.3% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.1% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.8% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.5% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.3% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.8% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.9% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.6% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.7% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.3% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.8% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.0% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mariposa CountyBest the second week of June · 535 checklists that week, 17,385 in all21%
  2. Sacramento CountyBest early June · 2028 checklists that week, 121,767 in all14%
  3. San Benito CountyBest the second week of June · 385 checklists that week, 25,997 in all14%
  4. Los Angeles CountyBest early June · 6747 checklists that week, 410,235 in all13%
  5. Riverside CountyBest early June · 1492 checklists that week, 113,541 in all12%
  6. Orange CountyBest late May · 6017 checklists that week, 244,559 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monkeyface FallsSan Bernardino County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 130 in all90%
  2. American River ParkwaySacramento County, best late May · 75 checklists that week, 1,855 in all83%
  3. Sindicich Lagoons (north)Contra Costa County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 173 in all74%
  4. Arbor ParkOrange County, best mid November · 24 checklists that week, 1,045 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In California, the White-throated Swift is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 4.1% of 186053 checklists7 am: 3.9% of 444086 checklists8 am: 3.9% of 535846 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 486061 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 411130 checklists11 am: 3.2% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 2.4% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 2.9% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.3% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January2.7%2.7%2.5%2.3%
February2.2%2.2%2.3%2.8%
March3.0%3.5%3.8%4.3%
April4.8%5.5%6.2%6.6%
May6.8%6.3%7.1%6.8%
June6.5%6.3%5.8%4.9%
July4.0%3.2%2.6%2.0%
August1.6%1.7%1.7%1.8%
September1.8%1.7%2.0%1.8%
October1.7%1.3%1.5%1.4%
November1.7%1.7%1.7%1.8%
December1.9%2.0%2.3%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives mid March, 19 weeks later than California
  • Utah: arrives late March, 20 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives mid February, 15 weeks later than California
  • Idaho: arrives early April, 21 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do White-throated Swifts arrive in California?
White-throated Swifts reach California in late October, are common by the second week of December, peak in late May (6.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do White-throated Swifts leave California?
Most White-throated Swifts have left California by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a White-throated Swift in California?
The White-throated Swift is reported most often in late May, on about 6.8% of California checklists.
Where in California are White-throated Swifts seen most often?
By county, Mariposa County, Sacramento County, and San Benito County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Swift (counties with at least 200 checklists).