WhenToBird

Anthus rubescens · Motacillidae

When Do American Pipits Arrive in Colorado?

Adult American Pipit
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Pipits are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in early April, peak in the second week of October (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late January.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals early April; most are gone by late January. Peak: on about 3.2% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.0% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.7% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.6% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.8% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.2% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.8% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.2% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.3% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.0% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.0% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sedgwick CountyBest the second week of October · 17 checklists that week, 1,168 in all41%
  2. Cheyenne CountyBest the second week of October · 44 checklists that week, 1,388 in all37%
  3. Washington CountyBest late October · 20 checklists that week, 2,511 in all31%
  4. Logan CountyBest mid October · 35 checklists that week, 4,117 in all27%
  5. Phillips CountyBest the second week of October · 17 checklists that week, 1,052 in all22%
  6. Clear Creek CountyBest the second week of August · 243 checklists that week, 8,581 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness AreaLarimer County, best early June · 48 checklists that week, 1,438 in all96%
  2. Summit Lake ParkClear Creek County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 179 in all93%
  3. Rocky Mountain National Park (Rock Cut)Larimer County, best early June · 32 checklists that week, 506 in all93%
  4. Summit LakeClear Creek County, best late July · 24 checklists that week, 140 in all90%
  5. Rocky Mountain National Park (Fall River Pass)Larimer County, best early June · 20 checklists that week, 699 in all79%
  6. Iceberg LakeLarimer County, best early August · 28 checklists that week, 440 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the American Pipit is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 71991 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 159189 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 177206 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 165269 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 141029 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 1.4% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January1.3%0.9%0.9%0.8%
February0.6%0.5%0.3%0.4%
March0.3%0.2%0.3%0.4%
April0.7%1.6%3.0%2.7%
May1.6%1.0%0.9%0.6%
June0.7%0.9%1.2%1.3%
July1.4%1.8%1.8%1.6%
August1.6%1.2%1.1%1.1%
September1.0%2.2%1.8%2.7%
October3.2%3.3%3.1%3.0%
November2.0%1.4%1.1%0.9%
December0.8%0.9%0.7%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid June, 10 weeks later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives mid September, 22 weeks later than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives mid September, 22 weeks later than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of September, 21 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do American Pipits arrive in Colorado?
American Pipits are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in early April, peak in the second week of October (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late January.
When do American Pipits leave Colorado?
Most American Pipits have left Colorado by late January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Pipit in Colorado?
The American Pipit is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 3.2% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are American Pipits seen most often?
By county, Sedgwick County, Cheyenne County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Pipit (counties with at least 200 checklists).