WhenToBird

Birding spot · Eddy County, New Mexico

Birding at Carlsbad Caverns National Park: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Carlsbad Caverns National Park are Northern Flicker (82%), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (81%), and White-winged Dove (74%). It is busiest in spring, when 98 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in mid September (118 species). 262 species have been reported here across 2,740 complete checklists from 1,361 birders.

Species by week

0255075100125Jan 1-7: 71 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsJan 8-14: 71 species on 5%+ of 74 checklistsJan 15-21: 67 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsJan 22-31: 58 species on 5%+ of 98 checklistsFeb 1-7: 80 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsFeb 8-14: 72 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsFeb 15-21: 63 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsFeb 22-28: 77 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsMar 1-7: 79 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsMar 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 46 checklistsMar 15-21: 72 species on 5%+ of 55 checklistsMar 22-31: 78 species on 5%+ of 81 checklistsApr 1-7: 75 species on 5%+ of 72 checklistsApr 8-14: 87 species on 5%+ of 75 checklistsApr 15-21: 92 species on 5%+ of 83 checklistsApr 22-30: 100 species on 5%+ of 154 checklistsMay 1-7: 100 species on 5%+ of 156 checklistsMay 8-14: 99 species on 5%+ of 118 checklistsMay 15-21: 85 species on 5%+ of 73 checklistsMay 22-31: 86 species on 5%+ of 78 checklistsJun 1-7: 80 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsJun 8-14: 59 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsJun 15-21: 60 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsJun 22-30: 57 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsJul 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsJul 8-14: 58 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsJul 15-21: 54 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsJul 22-31: 69 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsAug 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsAug 8-14: 94 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsAug 15-21: 80 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsAug 22-31: 91 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsSep 1-7: 84 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsSep 8-14: 87 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsSep 15-21: 118 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsSep 22-30: 76 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsOct 1-7: 78 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsOct 8-14: 76 species on 5%+ of 47 checklistsOct 15-21: 87 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsOct 22-31: 72 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsNov 1-7: 88 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsNov 8-14: 82 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsNov 15-21: 52 species on 5%+ of 131 checklistsNov 22-30: 57 species on 5%+ of 101 checklistsDec 1-7: 61 species on 5%+ of 92 checklistsDec 8-14: 58 species on 5%+ of 68 checklistsDec 15-21: 69 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsDec 22-31: 53 species on 5%+ of 82 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Northern Flicker82%
  2. 2Ruby-crowned Kinglet81%
  3. 3White-winged Dove74%
  4. 4Hermit Thrush72%
  5. 5American Robin68%
  6. 6Spotted Towhee65%
  7. 7Gray Catbird59%
  8. 8Brown Thrasher59%
  9. 9White-crowned Sparrow59%
  10. 10American Goldfinch53%
  11. 11Blue Mockingbird51%
  12. 12Lincoln's Sparrow49%
  13. 13Song Sparrow48%
  14. 14Northern Cardinal48%
  15. 15Marsh Wren46%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 62 species

  1. Northern Flicker83%
  2. American Robin76%
  3. Hermit Thrush70%
  4. White-crowned Sparrow69%
  5. Spotted Towhee68%

Spring 98 species

  1. Vermilion Flycatcher91%
  2. Wild Turkey81%
  3. White-winged Dove78%
  4. Northern Cardinal78%
  5. Turkey Vulture73%

Summer 65 species

  1. Vermilion Flycatcher93%
  2. Mourning Dove84%
  3. Yellow-breasted Chat83%
  4. White-winged Dove82%
  5. Turkey Vulture81%

Fall 88 species

  1. White-winged Dove72%
  2. Northern Flicker68%
  3. Wild Turkey63%
  4. Ruby-crowned Kinglet58%
  5. Mourning Dove51%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across New Mexico.

  • Blue Mockingbird15% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 183.2×
  • Brown Thrasher35% of checklists here vs 0.4% statewide: 78.7×
  • Gray Hawk5.0% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 78.1×
  • Orchard Oriole12% of checklists here vs 0.2% statewide: 63.4×
  • Painted Bunting19% of checklists here vs 0.3% statewide: 60.6×
  • Northern Cardinal68% of checklists here vs 1.4% statewide: 50.3×
  • Fox Sparrow6.9% of checklists here vs 0.2% statewide: 45.8×
  • Wild Turkey67% of checklists here vs 1.8% statewide: 37.5×

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.