WhenToBird

Fulica americana · Rallidae

When Do American Coots Arrive in Utah?

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

American Coots are in Utah all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in early April (27% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 5.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 15-21mid October
PeakApr 1-7early April
Fall back byMay 1-7early May
FewestJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: early April. Here all year; numbers build from mid October and fall back by early May. Peak: on about 27% of Utah checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 21% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 22% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 20% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 19% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 22% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 23% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 26% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 28% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 26% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 23% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 19% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.4% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.5% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.1% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.3% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.5% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.1% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.2% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.8% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.1% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.6% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.9% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.0% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 19% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 22% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 21% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 23% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 21% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 19% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Box Elder CountyBest early April · 247 checklists that week, 9,867 in all47%
  2. Juab CountyBest early April · 80 checklists that week, 2,572 in all47%
  3. Piute CountyBest late October · 14 checklists that week, 1,035 in all44%
  4. Utah CountyBest the second week of April · 1908 checklists that week, 70,971 in all44%
  5. Davis CountyBest late March · 1178 checklists that week, 39,952 in all40%
  6. Washington CountyBest mid January · 858 checklists that week, 43,893 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Field at the HillsIron County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 397 in all100%
  2. Salem LakeUtah County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 818 in all100%
  3. Springs ParkWashington County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 795 in all99%
  4. Decker Lake ParkSalt Lake County, best mid February · 30 checklists that week, 1,965 in all98%
  5. Spencer Number Two Reservoir (historical)Kane County, best mid September · 26 checklists that week, 605 in all98%
  6. Sand Hollow State ParkWashington County, best late November · 27 checklists that week, 827 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the American Coot is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (20% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 9.9% of 11714 checklists7 am: 13% of 33209 checklists8 am: 14% of 46944 checklists9 am: 15% of 46290 checklists10 am: 17% of 43144 checklists11 am: 19% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 20% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 20% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 20% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 20% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 19% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 17% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 14% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 11% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January21%22%22%22%
February20%19%19%21%
March22%23%24%26%
April28%26%25%23%
May19%15%13%8.4%
June7.5%6.1%6.3%5.5%
July5.1%5.2%5.3%6.8%
August7.1%8.6%7.9%9.0%
September11%12%12%12%
October13%15%17%19%
November22%21%23%24%
December21%19%17%19%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early March, 18 weeks later than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives early October, 2 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives early October, 2 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives mid March, 20 weeks later than Utah

Common questions

When do American Coots arrive in Utah?
American Coots are in Utah all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in early April (27% of checklists), and fall back by early May. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 5.2% of checklists.
When do American Coots leave Utah?
American Coots never fully leave Utah: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early May, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Coot in Utah?
The American Coot is reported most often in early April, on about 27% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are American Coots seen most often?
By county, Box Elder County, Juab County, and Piute County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Coot (counties with at least 200 checklists).