WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in South Dakota?

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

American Goldfinches are in South Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in the second week of August (35% of checklists), and fall back by early September. In the quietest week (the second week of October) they are still on about 9.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 1-7early May
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 1-7early September
FewestOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from early May and fall back by early September. Peak: on about 35% of South Dakota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 21% of 1699 checklistsJan 8-14: 19% of 967 checklistsJan 15-21: 23% of 893 checklistsJan 22-31: 20% of 1338 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 898 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 1013 checklistsFeb 15-21: 24% of 1650 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 1011 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 1304 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 1447 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 1524 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 2850 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 2170 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 2259 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 2578 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 3858 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 3532 checklistsMay 8-14: 32% of 4498 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 4211 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 5094 checklistsJun 1-7: 24% of 3279 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 3503 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 2861 checklistsJun 22-30: 25% of 3893 checklistsJul 1-7: 31% of 2666 checklistsJul 8-14: 29% of 2554 checklistsJul 15-21: 27% of 2412 checklistsJul 22-31: 32% of 2746 checklistsAug 1-7: 35% of 1842 checklistsAug 8-14: 36% of 1899 checklistsAug 15-21: 33% of 1757 checklistsAug 22-31: 32% of 2464 checklistsSep 1-7: 27% of 1894 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 1794 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 1671 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 2085 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 1429 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.1% of 1441 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 1330 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 1471 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 1168 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 1068 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 985 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 1108 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 890 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 957 checklistsDec 15-21: 18% of 1246 checklistsDec 22-31: 22% of 1514 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 South 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 South Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Beadle CountyBest mid January · 15 checklists that week, 1,402 in all82%
  2. Sanborn CountyBest mid December · 15 checklists that week, 748 in all81%
  3. Roberts CountyBest the second week of December · 37 checklists that week, 3,523 in all75%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest mid August · 41 checklists that week, 2,721 in all71%
  5. Clay CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 2,633 in all70%
  6. Gregory CountyBest the second week of July · 11 checklists that week, 472 in all70%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dakota Nature ParkBrookings County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 1,079 in all92%
  2. PerryMinnehaha County, best mid May · 28 checklists that week, 215 in all87%
  3. Blood Run National Historic Landmark Area Tcf TractLincoln County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 646 in all84%
  4. Prairie Dog CanyonCuster County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 184 in all83%
  5. Newton Hills (Sargeant Creek)Lincoln County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 173 in all83%
  6. Oakwood Lakes Recreation AreaBrookings County, best early August · 23 checklists that week, 132 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In South Dakota, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (49) to judge1 am: too few checklists (44) to judge2 am: too few checklists (33) to judge3 am: too few checklists (59) to judge4 am: too few checklists (227) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1080) to judge6 am: 34% of 3387 checklists7 am: 28% of 7718 checklists8 am: 32% of 10342 checklists9 am: 28% of 10758 checklists10 am: 24% of 9123 checklists11 am: 22% of 7814 checklists12 pm: 19% of 6876 checklists1 pm: 19% of 6801 checklists2 pm: 17% of 6673 checklists3 pm: 16% of 6344 checklists4 pm: 17% of 6412 checklists5 pm: 18% of 5570 checklists6 pm: 19% of 4276 checklists7 pm: 19% of 3183 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1499) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (329) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (82) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (42) 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%19%23%20%
February21%25%24%19%
March15%15%16%13%
April13%12%12%14%
May23%32%37%32%
June24%21%22%25%
July31%29%27%32%
August35%36%33%32%
September27%20%15%13%
October10%7.1%10%13%
November16%15%18%19%
December19%20%18%22%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late June, 7 weeks later than South Dakota
  • North Dakota: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than South Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives early May, in the same week than South Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives mid June, 6 weeks later than South Dakota

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in South Dakota?
American Goldfinches are in South Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in the second week of August (35% of checklists), and fall back by early September. In the quietest week (the second week of October) they are still on about 9.2% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave South Dakota?
American Goldfinches never fully leave South Dakota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early September, but some are still reported in every week, about 9.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in South Dakota?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 35% of South Dakota checklists.
Where in South Dakota are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Beadle County, Sanborn County, and Roberts County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).