WhenToBird

Corvus brachyrhynchos · Corvidae

When Do American Crows Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

The American Crow is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 53% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 8-14the second week of March
Quietest weekJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: the second week of March. Here all year. Peak: on about 53% of Wisconsin 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 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 40% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 41% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 43% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 45% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 43% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 51% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 53% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 53% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 52% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 49% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 46% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 45% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 43% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 43% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 45% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 44% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 43% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 42% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 41% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 41% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 39% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 40% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 39% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 39% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 40% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 40% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 41% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 40% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 41% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 41% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 43% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 45% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 48% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 48% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 48% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 48% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 46% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 46% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 46% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 44% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 43% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 42% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 42% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 42% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 44% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 44% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dunn CountyBest early October · 112 checklists that week, 8,247 in all82%
  2. Florence CountyBest mid March · 156 checklists that week, 10,179 in all77%
  3. Pierce CountyBest early March · 110 checklists that week, 7,076 in all77%
  4. Washburn CountyBest the second week of March · 33 checklists that week, 7,099 in all76%
  5. Douglas CountyBest late March · 241 checklists that week, 14,015 in all74%
  6. Ashland CountyBest early March · 223 checklists that week, 16,576 in all74%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Red Cedar State TrailDunn County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 444 in all100%
  2. Lake Menomin ParkDunn County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 391 in all96%
  3. Henry Mueller Family ConservancySheboygan County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 199 in all96%
  4. Owen Conservation ParkDane County, best early March · 101 checklists that week, 5,184 in all95%
  5. Irvine ParkChippewa County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 274 in all95%
  6. Sheboygan Indian Mound ParkSheboygan County, best the second week of March · 52 checklists that week, 839 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the American Crow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (61% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 62% of 27016 checklists6 am: 60% of 83973 checklists7 am: 56% of 160717 checklists8 am: 50% of 160531 checklists9 am: 46% of 136968 checklists10 am: 43% of 119110 checklists11 am: 40% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 38% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 39% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 38% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 36% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 35% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 35% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 32% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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%40%41%43%
February45%42%43%51%
March53%53%52%49%
April46%45%43%43%
May45%44%43%42%
June41%41%39%40%
July39%39%40%40%
August41%40%41%41%
September43%45%48%48%
October48%48%46%46%
November46%44%43%42%
December42%42%44%44%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: year-round, peaks early March
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks early March
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks the second week of March

Common questions

When do American Crows arrive in Wisconsin?
The American Crow is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 53% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of July).
When do American Crows leave Wisconsin?
The American Crow does not leave Wisconsin: it is reported all year, from 39% of checklists in the second week of July to 53% in the second week of March.
When is the best time to see a American Crow in Wisconsin?
The American Crow is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 53% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are American Crows seen most often?
By county, Dunn County, Florence County, and Pierce County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Crow (counties with at least 200 checklists).