WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Alabama?

Adult American Coot
Photo: Daughter Dad, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Coots are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by late October, peak in mid January (8.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid January. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 8.9% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 8.3% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.9% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.4% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.9% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.6% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.5% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.6% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.0% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.8% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.6% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.5% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.5% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.3% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.3% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.4% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.9% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.9% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.9% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.3% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.5% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.8% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.4% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.2% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.9% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.1% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jackson CountyBest the second week of December · 43 checklists that week, 2,292 in all56%
  2. Marshall CountyBest mid January · 184 checklists that week, 5,647 in all51%
  3. Barbour CountyBest the second week of February · 126 checklists that week, 2,947 in all50%
  4. Chilton CountyBest mid January · 29 checklists that week, 1,513 in all41%
  5. Limestone CountyBest early March · 177 checklists that week, 6,886 in all41%
  6. Colbert CountyBest early April · 103 checklists that week, 4,794 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (Whiteside)Limestone County, best the second week of March · 25 checklists that week, 757 in all93%
  2. Gerald Wallace Lake Number TwoMontgomery County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 310 in all91%
  3. Walter F. George Recreation Area (Cowikee Creek)Barbour County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 357 in all88%
  4. Shelby LakesBaldwin County, best the second week of December · 43 checklists that week, 1,533 in all86%
  5. Swan Creek Wildlife Management AreaLimestone County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 696 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the American Coot is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (5.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 2.4% of 26677 checklists7 am: 3.3% of 42599 checklists8 am: 3.6% of 39919 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 34699 checklists10 am: 5.0% of 28551 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 5.7% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 5.9% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 4.7% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January8.3%8.9%7.4%9.9%
February7.6%6.5%5.6%7.0%
March6.8%6.6%5.5%5.5%
April4.3%3.3%2.4%1.4%
May2.0%1.9%1.5%1.1%
June1.0%0.9%0.8%0.5%
July0.9%0.7%1.2%1.0%
August1.2%1.5%1.2%1.3%
September1.0%0.6%0.4%0.6%
October0.9%1.1%2.3%5.9%
November5.9%7.3%7.5%7.8%
December7.4%8.2%7.9%7.1%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives mid September, 3 weeks earlier than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Alabama

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Alabama?
American Coots are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by late October, peak in mid January (8.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do American Coots leave Alabama?
Most American Coots have left Alabama by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a American Coot in Alabama?
The American Coot is reported most often in mid January, on about 8.9% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Jackson County, Marshall County, and Barbour County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).