WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Maryland?

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

American Coots are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid March (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: mid March. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 3.7% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.8% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.7% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.0% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.5% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.4% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.2% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.4% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.3% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.9% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.7% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.8% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dorchester CountyBest mid March · 652 checklists that week, 26,161 in all14%
  2. Cecil CountyBest the second week of January · 313 checklists that week, 18,620 in all9.7%
  3. Worcester CountyBest late November · 1108 checklists that week, 44,596 in all9.1%
  4. Caroline CountyBest the second week of March · 240 checklists that week, 11,067 in all8.0%
  5. Prince George's CountyBest early March · 1777 checklists that week, 87,907 in all7.9%
  6. Wicomico CountyBest late January · 272 checklists that week, 12,356 in all7.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake AshburtonBaltimore County, best early January · 27 checklists that week, 388 in all94%
  2. Lynch Cove ParkBaltimore County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 198 in all83%
  3. Bay Shore AcresWorcester County, best the second week of November · 89 checklists that week, 1,130 in all71%
  4. Dickman Street ParkBaltimore County, best mid April · 36 checklists that week, 314 in all69%
  5. Lake ArtemesiaPrince George's County, best late February · 183 checklists that week, 6,051 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the American Coot is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 1.0% of 56604 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 139255 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 148626 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 126820 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 106973 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January2.8%2.5%2.7%2.3%
February2.7%2.2%2.0%3.3%
March3.1%3.7%3.8%3.5%
April3.4%3.2%2.4%1.2%
May0.7%0.3%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.3%0.7%1.1%1.5%
November2.2%3.3%2.9%2.7%
December2.8%2.4%1.9%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives mid October, in the same week than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives mid October, in the same week than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid October, in the same week than Maryland

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Maryland?
American Coots are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid March (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do American Coots leave Maryland?
Most American Coots have left Maryland by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Coot in Maryland?
The American Coot is reported most often in mid March, on about 3.7% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Dorchester County, Cecil County, and Worcester County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).