WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Iowa?

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

American Coots reach Iowa in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (24% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 24% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.7% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.0% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.5% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 24% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 18% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.7% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.3% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.7% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.7% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.8% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.4% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.2% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Louisa CountyBest the second week of April · 77 checklists that week, 1,639 in all68%
  2. Guthrie CountyBest early November · 21 checklists that week, 1,167 in all61%
  3. Clay CountyBest mid April · 19 checklists that week, 844 in all60%
  4. Sac CountyBest early April · 29 checklists that week, 1,085 in all55%
  5. Worth CountyBest early April · 12 checklists that week, 333 in all55%
  6. Buena Vista CountyBest early April · 57 checklists that week, 2,846 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hendrickson Marsh Wildlife Management AreaStory County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 556 in all98%
  2. Jensen MarshMadison County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 404 in all96%
  3. Hendrickson Marsh Wildlife Management Area (east)Marshall County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 250 in all95%
  4. Trumbull LakeClay County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 206 in all92%
  5. Cone Marsh Wildlife Management AreaLouisa County, best the second week of April · 50 checklists that week, 1,002 in all91%
  6. Lake Manawa State ParkPottawattamie County, best early April · 24 checklists that week, 599 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the American Coot is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (9.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 5.4% of 11313 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 25717 checklists8 am: 7.0% of 29755 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 28897 checklists10 am: 7.8% of 26343 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 8.4% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 8.2% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 8.4% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 8.4% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 8.7% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 10% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 8.6% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 6.3% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January2.0%1.1%0.9%1.1%
February0.5%0.3%0.4%1.7%
March4.0%9.5%13%19%
April24%23%24%18%
May11%6.7%4.3%3.0%
June1.4%1.1%1.1%0.9%
July1.0%0.4%0.9%0.9%
August0.9%1.0%0.9%1.1%
September1.7%1.9%3.8%6.7%
October8.8%12%13%17%
November18%16%8.4%5.8%
December4.2%3.5%2.2%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives late September, 20 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives early March, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, 22 weeks earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Iowa?
American Coots reach Iowa in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (24% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do American Coots leave Iowa?
Most American Coots have left Iowa by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a American Coot in Iowa?
The American Coot is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 24% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Louisa County, Guthrie County, and Clay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).