When do yellow-billed cuckoos arrive in New Hampshire?
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a summer breeder in New Hampshire — here is when to expect it, when it leaves, and how to be ready.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo timing in New Hampshire
- Arrives
- Around May
- Leaves
- By September
- Status here
- Summer breeder
- Nesting season
- June–August
- Present roughly
- May–September
In New Hampshire, yellow-billed cuckoos are present through the warm months, arriving around May and heading south again by September.
These windows are set by latitude: New Hampshire sits in the middle part of this species' range, so timing here runs later than the continental average — the season starts later this far north and the birds wait for it. In any given year, weather can move the first arrivals by a week or two either way.
Month by month in this state
Highlighted months are when yellow-billed cuckoos are expected in New Hampshire. The edges of the window are the interesting weeks — first arrivals and last departures vary most from year to year.
Getting ready before they arrive
The week before May is the time to act. Have feeders cleaned, filled and out by early May — the first yellow-billed cuckoos into New Hampshire are scouting for reliable food, and a station that's ready early gets added to their route.
Once nesting begins around June, adults switch to protein-rich food for their young and visits to feeders become quick and purposeful. Expect the busiest activity at dawn.
What yellow-billed cuckoos eat while they're here
- Tent caterpillars, cicadas, katydids and beetles
Called the 'rain crow' for calling before storms; one of few birds that eats hairy caterpillars in bulk.
Full Yellow-billed Cuckoo diet guide → · Best feeder for yellow-billed cuckoos →
Native plants that hold yellow-billed cuckoos in New Hampshire
Food keeps a migrant for a day; habitat keeps it for the season. These New Hampshire-native plants are known to attract yellow-billed cuckoos:
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.
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Frequently asked
When do yellow-billed cuckoos arrive in New Hampshire?
yellow-billed cuckoos typically arrive in New Hampshire around May, with nesting underway by June. Timing can shift a week or two with the weather in any given year.
When do yellow-billed cuckoos leave New Hampshire?
Most yellow-billed cuckoos have left New Hampshire by September. They spend the winter farther south and return the following spring.
Do yellow-billed cuckoos stay in New Hampshire all year?
No — in New Hampshire the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a summer breeder, present roughly May–September. Outside that window it is rarely seen in the state.
What should I put out before yellow-billed cuckoos arrive in New Hampshire?
Have feeders up and clean by early May — first arrivals scout reliable food sources. Good offerings for this species: tent caterpillars, cicadas, katydids and beetles.
Sources
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- eBird region overview and bar charts — New Hampshire
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.