WhenToBird

Loxia leucoptera · Fringillidae

When Do White-winged Crossbills Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult White-winged Crossbill
Photo: Christoph Moning, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-winged Crossbills are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in late October, peak in late November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late November. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.1% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sawyer CountyBest mid December · 36 checklists that week, 7,502 in all13%
  2. Taylor CountyBest mid January · 43 checklists that week, 4,326 in all10%
  3. Forest CountyBest the second week of December · 61 checklists that week, 7,461 in all10%
  4. Langlade CountyBest the second week of November · 80 checklists that week, 5,023 in all9.8%
  5. Bayfield CountyBest the second week of November · 280 checklists that week, 21,381 in all9.8%
  6. Rusk CountyBest the second week of December · 39 checklists that week, 5,768 in all8.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Forest Beach Migratory PreserveOzaukee County, best early December · 34 checklists that week, 1,819 in all44%
  2. Forest Hill CemeteryDane County, best the second week of December · 30 checklists that week, 755 in all33%
  3. Doctors ParkMilwaukee County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 634 in all24%
  4. Izac Walton LeagueBrown County, best the second week of March · 23 checklists that week, 383 in all19%
  5. Nicholson Wildlife RefugeRacine County, best the second week of March · 42 checklists that week, 871 in all18%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the White-winged Crossbill is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 0.1% of 27016 checklists6 am: 0.2% of 83973 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 160717 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 160531 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 136968 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January0.6%0.6%0.6%1.0%
February0.9%0.7%0.4%1.0%
March0.6%0.5%0.3%0.2%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
November0.9%0.8%0.9%1.2%
December1.1%0.9%0.6%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Minnesota: arrives late October, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • South Dakota: arrives early December, 5 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • North Dakota: arrives early November, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Alaska: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do White-winged Crossbills arrive in Wisconsin?
White-winged Crossbills are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in late October, peak in late November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do White-winged Crossbills leave Wisconsin?
Most White-winged Crossbills have left Wisconsin by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a White-winged Crossbill in Wisconsin?
The White-winged Crossbill is reported most often in late November, on about 1.1% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are White-winged Crossbills seen most often?
By county, Sawyer County, Taylor County, and Forest County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-winged Crossbill (counties with at least 200 checklists).