WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Idaho?

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

American Coots are in Idaho all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (22% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 5.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 22% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 11% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.1% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.9% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.6% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.0% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 12% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 15% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 21% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.6% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.9% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.9% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.5% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.7% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.5% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.5% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.8% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.9% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.4% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.6% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 22% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 22% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 21% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.4% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.8% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.7% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Owyhee CountyBest late October · 186 checklists that week, 7,837 in all71%
  2. Gooding CountyBest late October · 36 checklists that week, 3,207 in all61%
  3. Lewis CountyBest late October · 12 checklists that week, 603 in all59%
  4. Elmore CountyBest late October · 101 checklists that week, 6,239 in all57%
  5. Jerome CountyBest late September · 17 checklists that week, 804 in all56%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest late April · 214 checklists that week, 5,319 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Borden Lake (Bruneau River)Elmore County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 191 in all100%
  2. Hyatt Hidden Lakes ReserveAda County, best early October · 47 checklists that week, 2,507 in all99%
  3. Wilson Springs Access SiteCanyon County, best early February · 31 checklists that week, 1,000 in all99%
  4. Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (Swan Falls)Ada County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 825 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the American Coot is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 6.5% of 9122 checklists7 am: 10% of 22204 checklists8 am: 10% of 38672 checklists9 am: 12% of 38930 checklists10 am: 13% of 37338 checklists11 am: 13% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 14% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 15% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 15% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 15% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 13% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 12% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 11% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 8.4% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January11%9.1%8.9%11%
February10%9.6%9.0%12%
March11%13%15%19%
April21%22%24%21%
May17%14%11%9.6%
June7.9%6.9%6.5%5.7%
July5.5%5.5%5.3%5.8%
August6.9%7.4%8.6%11%
September13%13%13%14%
October14%16%19%22%
November22%21%16%16%
December12%9.4%8.8%9.7%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives mid October, 20 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early April
  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid March

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Idaho?
American Coots are in Idaho all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (22% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 5.4% of checklists.
When do American Coots leave Idaho?
American Coots never fully leave Idaho: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Coot in Idaho?
The American Coot is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 22% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Owyhee County, Gooding County, and Lewis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).