WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Idaho?

Adult male American Kestrel
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The American Kestrel is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 21% of checklists at its peak (late December) and on 10% in its quietest week (mid July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 22-31late December
Quietest weekJul 15-21mid July

Best: late December. Here all year. Peak: on about 21% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 21% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 18% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 18% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 18% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 16% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 16% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 15% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 16% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 21% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 21% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 20% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Payette CountyBest late November · 28 checklists that week, 2,860 in all62%
  2. Washington CountyBest late December · 14 checklists that week, 926 in all61%
  3. Jerome CountyBest late December · 12 checklists that week, 804 in all48%
  4. Gem CountyBest late January · 234 checklists that week, 8,320 in all40%
  5. Camas CountyBest early May · 94 checklists that week, 2,112 in all38%
  6. Lincoln CountyBest early September · 11 checklists that week, 218 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Eagle Island State ParkAda County, best late December · 30 checklists that week, 1,077 in all93%
  2. Camas National Wildlife RefugeJefferson County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 540 in all89%
  3. Hubbard ReservoirAda County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 682 in all86%
  4. Fort Boise Wildlife Management AreaCanyon County, best late January · 30 checklists that week, 1,235 in all82%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (17% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 12% of 9122 checklists7 am: 14% of 22204 checklists8 am: 15% of 38672 checklists9 am: 17% of 38930 checklists10 am: 17% of 37338 checklists11 am: 16% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 15% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 15% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 16% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 16% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 15% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 13% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 13% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 12% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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%18%18%18%
February18%16%16%16%
March16%15%13%14%
April15%15%16%15%
May15%15%14%14%
June12%12%13%11%
July11%10%11%10%
August12%12%12%14%
September16%16%18%15%
October15%15%15%16%
November17%17%17%19%
December19%21%21%20%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: summer visitor, peaks early May
  • Utah: all year, most in winter, peaks late December
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks late December
  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid November

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Idaho?
The American Kestrel is in Idaho all year. It turns up on about 21% of checklists at its peak (late December) and on 10% in its quietest week (mid July).
When do American Kestrels leave Idaho?
The American Kestrel does not leave Idaho: it is reported all year, from 10% of checklists in mid July to 21% in late December.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in Idaho?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in late December, on about 21% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Payette County, Washington County, and Jerome County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).