WhenToBird

Corvus brachyrhynchos · Corvidae

When Do American Crows Arrive in Kentucky?

Adult American Crow
Photo: Ken Kneidel, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The American Crow is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 51% of checklists at its peak (the second week of October) and on 37% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 8-14the second week of October
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: the second week of October. Here all year. Peak: on about 51% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 39% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 37% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 39% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 44% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 39% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 38% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 45% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 48% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 49% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 48% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 46% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 45% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 46% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 46% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 45% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 44% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 43% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 40% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 41% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 39% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 39% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 39% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 38% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 39% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 39% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 40% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 39% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 40% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 38% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 39% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 41% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 48% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 48% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 50% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 51% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 51% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 52% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 50% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 50% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 47% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 43% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 44% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 41% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 41% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 45% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 44% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jackson CountyBest early March · 10 checklists that week, 344 in all95%
  2. Rockcastle CountyBest early January · 12 checklists that week, 598 in all89%
  3. Estill CountyBest the second week of March · 12 checklists that week, 382 in all89%
  4. McCreary CountyBest mid January · 11 checklists that week, 847 in all87%
  5. Union CountyBest the second week of June · 15 checklists that week, 747 in all87%
  6. Meade CountyBest mid February · 11 checklists that week, 412 in all86%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hardy Slough PondHenderson County, best late October · 52 checklists that week, 915 in all98%
  2. Peter W. Pfeiffer Fish HatcheryFranklin County, best early March · 23 checklists that week, 1,265 in all97%
  3. Cumberland Recreation AreaPulaski County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 427 in all94%
  4. University of Kentucky & Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government ArboretumFayette County, best the second week of October · 55 checklists that week, 2,100 in all93%
  5. McClain BranchMarshall County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 314 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the American Crow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (54% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 56% of 8227 checklists7 am: 53% of 24608 checklists8 am: 54% of 36577 checklists9 am: 50% of 34626 checklists10 am: 46% of 28796 checklists11 am: 44% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 43% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 42% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 41% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 38% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 33% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 31% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 32% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 26% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January39%37%36%39%
February44%39%38%45%
March48%49%48%46%
April45%46%46%45%
May44%43%40%41%
June39%39%39%38%
July39%39%40%39%
August40%38%39%41%
September45%48%48%50%
October51%51%52%50%
November50%47%43%44%
December41%41%45%44%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks late October
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid October
  • Ohio: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks early March

Common questions

When do American Crows arrive in Kentucky?
The American Crow is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 51% of checklists at its peak (the second week of October) and on 37% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do American Crows leave Kentucky?
The American Crow does not leave Kentucky: it is reported all year, from 37% of checklists in mid January to 51% in the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a American Crow in Kentucky?
The American Crow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 51% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are American Crows seen most often?
By county, Jackson County, Rockcastle County, and Estill County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Crow (counties with at least 200 checklists).