WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Montana?

Adult American Goldfinch
Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Goldfinches are in Montana all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid May, peak in the second week of August (26% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 15-21mid May
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 15-21mid September
FewestMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from mid May and fall back by mid September. Peak: on about 26% of Montana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 8.3% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.0% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.1% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.6% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.1% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.5% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.7% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.9% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.9% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.0% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.9% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.1% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.0% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.5% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.6% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.6% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 18% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 20% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 19% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 26% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 27% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 26% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 23% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.3% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.5% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 10% of 6672 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 Montana 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Richland CountyBest late July · 19 checklists that week, 673 in all71%
  2. Sheridan CountyBest the second week of September · 108 checklists that week, 2,316 in all56%
  3. Treasure CountyBest mid July · 14 checklists that week, 265 in all56%
  4. Broadwater CountyBest mid August · 84 checklists that week, 2,470 in all52%
  5. Daniels CountyBest early June · 29 checklists that week, 481 in all51%
  6. Dawson CountyBest the second week of August · 17 checklists that week, 743 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Gallatin Recreation Area (Bridger Creek)Gallatin County, best mid August · 20 checklists that week, 988 in all85%
  2. Boxelder LakeSheridan County, best early June · 20 checklists that week, 209 in all84%
  3. Willow CreekGallatin County, best late May · 29 checklists that week, 911 in all84%
  4. Onstad Park (Westby)Sheridan County, best late May · 45 checklists that week, 123 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 23% of 12719 checklists7 am: 23% of 31202 checklists8 am: 20% of 47646 checklists9 am: 17% of 44624 checklists10 am: 15% of 40704 checklists11 am: 13% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 11% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 11% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 10% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 9.8% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 9.5% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 12% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 13% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 13% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January8.3%9.0%8.1%7.6%
February8.1%7.5%7.7%6.9%
March5.9%6.0%5.9%6.1%
April7.0%7.5%7.6%9.6%
May11%12%18%25%
June22%18%18%18%
July20%19%21%23%
August26%27%26%25%
September24%23%19%15%
October10%8.3%9.5%11%
November13%14%14%12%
December11%11%11%10%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early August
  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Montana
  • Utah: year-round, peaks mid November
  • Washington: arrives mid April, 4 weeks earlier than Montana

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Montana?
American Goldfinches are in Montana all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid May, peak in the second week of August (26% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Montana?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Montana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid September, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Montana?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 26% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Richland County, Sheridan County, and Treasure County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).