WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Rhode Island?

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

American Coots are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: mid November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 5.1% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.6% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.4% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.2% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.0% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.3% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.6% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.0% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.7% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest the second week of November · 1351 checklists that week, 65,038 in all8.4%
  2. Newport CountyBest late November · 710 checklists that week, 33,574 in all7.5%
  3. Kent CountyBest early January · 427 checklists that week, 16,966 in all3.7%
  4. Providence CountyBest mid January · 693 checklists that week, 40,898 in all2.2%
  5. Bristol CountyBest the second week of December · 232 checklists that week, 15,899 in all0.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Easton PondNewport County, best early February · 30 checklists that week, 983 in all79%
  2. Trustom Pond National Wildlife RefugeWashington County, best the second week of November · 96 checklists that week, 4,830 in all63%
  3. Lawton Valley ReservoirNewport County, best mid January · 26 checklists that week, 236 in all59%
  4. Print Works PondProvidence County, best early February · 20 checklists that week, 323 in all53%
  5. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge (Card Ponds)Washington County, best late October · 26 checklists that week, 818 in all34%
  6. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Washington County, best early November · 73 checklists that week, 1,460 in all33%

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

Best time of day

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

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 10493 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 17631 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 18834 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 17725 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 16696 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January3.6%3.0%3.1%4.2%
February2.4%1.2%1.3%2.1%
March2.0%1.6%1.1%1.4%
April1.2%1.0%0.8%0.5%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0%0.1%0.1%0.3%
October0.9%1.9%2.2%4.0%
November4.3%5.6%5.0%4.7%
December4.3%3.5%2.4%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Rhode Island
  • Connecticut: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Rhode Island
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Rhode Island
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Rhode Island

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Rhode Island?
American Coots are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do American Coots leave Rhode Island?
Most American Coots have left Rhode Island by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a American Coot in Rhode Island?
The American Coot is reported most often in mid November, on about 5.1% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Newport County, and Kent County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).