WhenToBird

Anthus rubescens · Motacillidae

When Do American Pipits Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

American Pipits are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in early September, peak in early October (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: early October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 2.5% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.4% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.6% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.8% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Columbia CountyBest mid October · 169 checklists that week, 15,761 in all12%
  2. Green CountyBest early November · 28 checklists that week, 4,387 in all12%
  3. Oneida CountyBest early October · 173 checklists that week, 14,600 in all8.1%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest early October · 123 checklists that week, 8,013 in all7.8%
  5. Bayfield CountyBest early October · 409 checklists that week, 21,381 in all7.6%
  6. Douglas CountyBest late September · 760 checklists that week, 14,015 in all7.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Walking Iron - 7A FarmsDane County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 106 in all44%
  2. Root River ParkwayMilwaukee County, best the second week of May · 43 checklists that week, 655 in all36%
  3. South Rice LakeMarathon County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 534 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the American Pipit is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 0.3% of 27016 checklists6 am: 0.6% of 83973 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 160717 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 160531 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 136968 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0%0%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.2%0.3%
May0.7%0.9%0.5%0.1%
June0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
July0%0.1%0.1%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.5%1.4%2.6%
October2.5%2.2%2.0%1.8%
November1.3%0.7%0.3%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives mid September, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives late August, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid September, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do American Pipits arrive in Wisconsin?
American Pipits are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in early September, peak in early October (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do American Pipits leave Wisconsin?
Most American Pipits have left Wisconsin by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Pipit in Wisconsin?
The American Pipit is reported most often in early October, on about 2.5% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are American Pipits seen most often?
By county, Columbia County, Green County, and Oneida County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Pipit (counties with at least 200 checklists).