WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Alabama?

Adult male American Robin
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Robins are in Alabama all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid December, peak in late February (40% of checklists), and fall back by late March. In the quietest week (late August) they are still on about 12% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildDec 15-21mid December
PeakFeb 22-28late February
Fall back byMar 22-31late March
FewestAug 22-31late August

Best: late February. Here all year; numbers build from mid December and fall back by late March. Peak: on about 40% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 30% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 30% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 32% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 35% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 39% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 38% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 39% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 44% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 39% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 35% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 28% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 25% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 21% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 26% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 28% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 27% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 24% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 22% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 25% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 27% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 26% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 26% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 24% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Escambia CountyBest early February · 11 checklists that week, 547 in all82%
  2. Madison CountyBest mid March · 621 checklists that week, 30,800 in all78%
  3. Geneva CountyBest early February · 60 checklists that week, 3,203 in all73%
  4. Sumter CountyBest early February · 26 checklists that week, 782 in all70%
  5. Perry CountyBest the second week of February · 16 checklists that week, 1,066 in all67%
  6. Houston CountyBest late January · 175 checklists that week, 6,424 in all64%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Railroad ParkJefferson County, best late April · 44 checklists that week, 438 in all100%
  2. Birmingham Botanical GardensJefferson County, best early May · 24 checklists that week, 544 in all98%
  3. J.D. & Annie S. Hays Nature PreserveMadison County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 1,047 in all96%
  4. Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife SanctuaryMadison County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 251 in all93%
  5. AltamontJefferson County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 191 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (32% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 32% of 26677 checklists7 am: 32% of 42599 checklists8 am: 28% of 39919 checklists9 am: 25% of 34699 checklists10 am: 23% of 28551 checklists11 am: 22% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 22% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 22% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 22% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 23% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 23% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 20% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 21% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January30%30%32%35%
February39%38%39%44%
March39%35%30%28%
April25%22%21%26%
May28%27%25%22%
June23%24%22%22%
July22%21%18%17%
August14%14%12%13%
September12%13%16%18%
October17%17%16%18%
November23%25%28%27%
December26%26%24%29%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives mid December, in the same week than Alabama
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks early March
  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Louisiana: arrives mid December, in the same week than Alabama

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Alabama?
American Robins are in Alabama all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid December, peak in late February (40% of checklists), and fall back by late March. In the quietest week (late August) they are still on about 12% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Alabama?
American Robins never fully leave Alabama: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late March, but some are still reported in every week, about 12% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Alabama?
The American Robin is reported most often in late February, on about 40% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Escambia County, Madison County, and Geneva County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).