WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Michigan?

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

American Coots reach Michigan in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

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

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 5.8% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.5% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.5% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.7% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.8% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.0% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.7% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.8% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.7% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.9% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.2% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.2% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.9% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.0% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.9% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.1% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest mid April · 707 checklists that week, 22,078 in all35%
  2. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of April · 153 checklists that week, 5,892 in all23%
  3. Bay CountyBest mid April · 450 checklists that week, 16,522 in all21%
  4. Tuscola CountyBest late October · 125 checklists that week, 5,683 in all19%
  5. Clinton CountyBest the second week of April · 349 checklists that week, 10,597 in all19%
  6. Muskegon CountyBest mid April · 920 checklists that week, 26,420 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Reeds LakeKent County, best the second week of April · 301 checklists that week, 5,281 in all88%
  2. Fish Point State Wildlife AreaTuscola County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 998 in all83%
  3. Leoni Township ParkJackson County, best early January · 42 checklists that week, 241 in all80%
  4. Pointe Mouillee State Game AreaMonroe County, best the second week of April · 107 checklists that week, 3,630 in all80%
  5. Watkins LakeJackson County, best early November · 79 checklists that week, 2,334 in all78%
  6. Conner PitOttawa County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 350 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the American Coot is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 39298 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 120344 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 180109 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 171966 checklists10 am: 2.2% of 156332 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 2.3% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 1.6% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January1.3%1.3%1.4%1.2%
February1.0%0.8%0.6%1.3%
March1.6%2.5%3.5%4.7%
April5.8%6.0%5.7%4.8%
May2.7%1.2%0.8%0.6%
June0.6%0.4%0.4%0.5%
July0.6%0.6%0.4%0.4%
August0.5%0.3%0.4%0.5%
September0.5%0.6%1.0%2.1%
October2.9%4.2%5.2%5.9%
November6.0%4.9%4.0%3.0%
December2.1%1.6%1.1%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid September, 21 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of September, 22 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, 22 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Michigan?
American Coots reach Michigan in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do American Coots leave Michigan?
Most American Coots have left Michigan by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Coot in Michigan?
The American Coot is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 5.8% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Gratiot County, and Bay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).