WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Ohio?

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

American Coots reach Ohio in mid September, are common by the second week of October, peak in early April (10% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: early April. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 10% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.3% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.5% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.3% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.2% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.5% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.4% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.3% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.8% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.4% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.4% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.5% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.9% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.0% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.5% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.5% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.9% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.3% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.3% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.4% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Allen CountyBest late October · 197 checklists that week, 7,709 in all35%
  2. Brown CountyBest early April · 21 checklists that week, 1,793 in all35%
  3. Mercer CountyBest late March · 99 checklists that week, 2,091 in all34%
  4. Wyandot CountyBest the second week of April · 189 checklists that week, 6,235 in all32%
  5. Highland CountyBest the second week of January · 102 checklists that week, 4,966 in all30%
  6. Lorain CountyBest the second week of April · 1940 checklists that week, 59,913 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake NesmithSummit County, best mid February · 31 checklists that week, 275 in all93%
  2. Summit LakeSummit County, best early November · 36 checklists that week, 1,360 in all93%
  3. Miami Whitewater ForestHamilton County, best early April · 32 checklists that week, 987 in all91%
  4. Pipe Creek Wilderness AreaErie County, best mid March · 35 checklists that week, 2,471 in all91%
  5. Pickerington Ponds MetroparkFranklin County, best early April · 64 checklists that week, 2,852 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the American Coot is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 2.6% of 43093 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 142017 checklists8 am: 3.8% of 205296 checklists9 am: 4.3% of 196322 checklists10 am: 4.8% of 170882 checklists11 am: 5.3% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 5.5% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 5.9% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 6.0% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 5.7% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 5.2% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 4.7% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 4.0% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 2.6% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January4.3%3.8%4.5%4.3%
February3.5%3.3%3.2%5.4%
March6.5%7.4%9.3%10%
April11%10%8.8%6.6%
May6.4%6.4%3.5%1.6%
June1.0%0.7%0.7%0.8%
July1.0%1.2%0.9%1.0%
August1.1%1.1%0.9%0.8%
September0.9%0.7%0.7%1.5%
October2.9%4.2%6.0%7.5%
November7.5%7.0%7.4%5.9%
December5.3%4.0%3.3%3.4%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 21 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Ohio?
American Coots reach Ohio in mid September, are common by the second week of October, peak in early April (10% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do American Coots leave Ohio?
Most American Coots have left Ohio by mid May, 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 Ohio?
The American Coot is reported most often in early April, on about 10% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Allen County, Brown County, and Mercer County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).