WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Montana?

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

American Kestrels reach Montana in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 11% of Montana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.2% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.8% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.7% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.8% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 10% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.6% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.8% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.6% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.4% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.2% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.1% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.9% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.9% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.1% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.2% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.9% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.9% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.4% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.4% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.4% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.5% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.1% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.3% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.4% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% 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. Treasure CountyBest early May · 20 checklists that week, 265 in all33%
  2. Golden Valley CountyBest the second week of August · 12 checklists that week, 663 in all33%
  3. Granite CountyBest the second week of May · 35 checklists that week, 1,737 in all31%
  4. Carter CountyBest early May · 14 checklists that week, 596 in all31%
  5. Musselshell CountyBest early September · 18 checklists that week, 961 in all30%
  6. Sweet Grass CountyBest late June · 79 checklists that week, 1,532 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Council Grove State ParkMissoula County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 1,323 in all80%
  2. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (northeast)Ravalli County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 838 in all66%
  3. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife RefugeRavalli County, best the second week of May · 41 checklists that week, 1,477 in all58%
  4. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (west)Ravalli County, best late June · 26 checklists that week, 903 in all58%
  5. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (southwest)Ravalli County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 873 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (6.4% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 7.2% of 12719 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 31202 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 47646 checklists9 am: 6.1% of 44624 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 40704 checklists11 am: 6.4% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 5.7% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 5.5% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 5.3% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 5.6% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 6.1% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 6.4% 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
January2.2%2.2%1.9%2.0%
February1.5%1.6%1.5%1.6%
March1.5%1.4%1.5%2.0%
April2.8%5.7%8.8%10%
May11%11%9.6%8.8%
June7.6%7.4%8.2%8.1%
July7.9%6.9%7.1%7.2%
August6.9%6.9%6.4%7.4%
September7.4%8.5%8.1%5.3%
October3.8%2.4%2.0%1.7%
November2.2%2.3%1.7%2.0%
December2.2%2.4%2.6%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: year-round, peaks late December
  • Wyoming: arrives mid March, 2 weeks earlier than Montana
  • Utah: arrives early November, 20 weeks earlier than Montana
  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid November

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Montana?
American Kestrels reach Montana in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do American Kestrels leave Montana?
Most American Kestrels have left Montana by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in Montana?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in early May, on about 11% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Treasure County, Golden Valley County, and Granite County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).