WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in California?

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

American Robins are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid January, peak in the second week of June (26% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 10% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJan 15-21mid January
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Fall back byJul 15-21mid July
FewestSep 1-7early September

Best: the second week of June. Here all year; numbers build from mid January and fall back by mid July. Peak: on about 26% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 17% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 20% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 20% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 22% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 21% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 21% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 21% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 22% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 23% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 25% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 25% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 16% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 10% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nevada CountyBest mid June · 738 checklists that week, 25,896 in all66%
  2. Alpine CountyBest early July · 274 checklists that week, 6,013 in all61%
  3. Sierra CountyBest the second week of July · 283 checklists that week, 8,945 in all59%
  4. San Francisco CountyBest early June · 2357 checklists that week, 130,018 in all57%
  5. Amador CountyBest mid June · 137 checklists that week, 4,733 in all56%
  6. El Dorado CountyBest early July · 649 checklists that week, 25,075 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cuesta ParkSanta Clara County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 1,036 in all100%
  2. East Richmond HeightsContra Costa County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 318 in all100%
  3. Riverside ParkMendocino County, best mid November · 25 checklists that week, 1,220 in all99%
  4. Albany Hill ParkAlameda County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 1,600 in all99%
  5. Laughlin ParkSan Joaquin County, best mid May · 24 checklists that week, 538 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In California, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 23% of 186053 checklists7 am: 24% of 444086 checklists8 am: 23% of 535846 checklists9 am: 19% of 486061 checklists10 am: 17% of 411130 checklists11 am: 15% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 14% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 14% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 15% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 17% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 17% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 17% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 16% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January17%17%17%20%
February20%21%22%21%
March22%21%21%21%
April21%22%21%22%
May23%23%24%25%
June26%25%26%25%
July23%21%18%16%
August14%12%11%10%
September10%10%11%10%
October11%10%12%15%
November16%16%17%17%
December17%17%20%18%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late June
  • Utah: arrives mid March, 8 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives late April, 13 weeks later than California
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early May

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in California?
American Robins are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid January, peak in the second week of June (26% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 10% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave California?
American Robins never fully leave California: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid July, but some are still reported in every week, about 10% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in California?
The American Robin is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 26% of California checklists.
Where in California are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Nevada County, Alpine County, and Sierra County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).