WhenToBird

Corvus brachyrhynchos · Corvidae

When Do American Crows Arrive in North Dakota?

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

The American Crow is in North Dakota all year. It turns up on about 32% of checklists at its peak (mid March) and on 15% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 15-21mid March
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: mid March. Here all year. Peak: on about 32% of North Dakota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 18% of 1694 checklistsJan 8-14: 20% of 1210 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 1263 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 1984 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 1209 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 1307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 1655 checklistsFeb 22-28: 23% of 1619 checklistsMar 1-7: 28% of 1653 checklistsMar 8-14: 31% of 1818 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 2103 checklistsMar 22-31: 33% of 3714 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 2955 checklistsApr 8-14: 29% of 3550 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 4104 checklistsApr 22-30: 23% of 5712 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 5328 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 5885 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 5344 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 7512 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 4329 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 4287 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 3798 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 4361 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 2939 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 2407 checklistsJul 15-21: 15% of 2254 checklistsJul 22-31: 16% of 2852 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 2119 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 2044 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 2124 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 3168 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 2449 checklistsSep 8-14: 21% of 2310 checklistsSep 15-21: 23% of 2092 checklistsSep 22-30: 25% of 2565 checklistsOct 1-7: 23% of 2071 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 1918 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 1907 checklistsOct 22-31: 19% of 2589 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 1858 checklistsNov 8-14: 18% of 1753 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 1483 checklistsNov 22-30: 18% of 1928 checklistsDec 1-7: 18% of 1337 checklistsDec 8-14: 22% of 1309 checklistsDec 15-21: 21% of 1642 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 1830 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cavalier CountyBest early April · 10 checklists that week, 392 in all73%
  2. Traill CountyBest the second week of March · 10 checklists that week, 764 in all73%
  3. Ramsey CountyBest mid March · 11 checklists that week, 722 in all61%
  4. McHenry CountyBest the second week of April · 17 checklists that week, 1,118 in all59%
  5. Stutsman CountyBest mid March · 49 checklists that week, 7,048 in all56%
  6. Pembina CountyBest the second week of June · 16 checklists that week, 585 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sertoma ParkGrand Forks County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 599 in all92%
  2. Sertoma Park (southeast)Grand Forks County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 403 in all87%
  3. Oak ParkWard County, best late August · 47 checklists that week, 777 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In North Dakota, the American Crow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (28% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (74) to judge1 am: too few checklists (45) to judge2 am: too few checklists (42) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (274) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1538) to judge6 am: 27% of 4242 checklists7 am: 27% of 9520 checklists8 am: 28% of 13065 checklists9 am: 24% of 13356 checklists10 am: 22% of 12128 checklists11 am: 20% of 10772 checklists12 pm: 21% of 10316 checklists1 pm: 19% of 9169 checklists2 pm: 18% of 8880 checklists3 pm: 18% of 8688 checklists4 pm: 17% of 8201 checklists5 pm: 18% of 6687 checklists6 pm: 19% of 5455 checklists7 pm: 15% of 3926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2024) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (602) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (181) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (89) 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
January18%20%18%22%
February21%21%19%23%
March28%31%30%33%
April29%29%24%23%
May23%24%24%22%
June18%15%15%16%
July17%16%15%16%
August15%17%20%19%
September21%21%23%25%
October23%21%19%19%
November20%18%18%18%
December18%22%21%16%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Nebraska: all year, most in winter, peaks late October
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks early March

Common questions

When do American Crows arrive in North Dakota?
The American Crow is in North Dakota all year. It turns up on about 32% of checklists at its peak (mid March) and on 15% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do American Crows leave North Dakota?
The American Crow does not leave North Dakota: it is reported all year, from 15% of checklists in mid June to 32% in mid March.
When is the best time to see a American Crow in North Dakota?
The American Crow is reported most often in mid March, on about 32% of North Dakota checklists.
Where in North Dakota are American Crows seen most often?
By county, Cavalier County, Traill County, and Ramsey County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Crow (counties with at least 200 checklists).