WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Idaho?

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

American Robins are in Idaho all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid June (64% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 25% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakJun 15-21mid June
Fall back byJul 22-31late July
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: mid June. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by late July. Peak: on about 64% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  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%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 24% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 25% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 26% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 30% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 39% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 44% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 48% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 51% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 54% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 54% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 54% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 58% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 60% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 62% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 64% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 64% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 64% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 64% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 65% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 64% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 63% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 58% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 53% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 46% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 38% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 32% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 25% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 29% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 32% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 33% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 30% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 27% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 25% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 25% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 26% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 27% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest late June · 193 checklists that week, 5,826 in all89%
  2. Clearwater CountyBest the second week of June · 33 checklists that week, 1,909 in all89%
  3. Lewis CountyBest late June · 26 checklists that week, 603 in all87%
  4. Teton CountyBest early June · 206 checklists that week, 6,406 in all83%
  5. Madison CountyBest mid June · 80 checklists that week, 3,887 in all82%
  6. Minidoka CountyBest the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 1,365 in all78%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mason CreekCanyon County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 1,694 in all100%
  2. Eagle Island State ParkAda County, best early May · 24 checklists that week, 1,077 in all100%
  3. Lucky Peak State ParkAda County, best mid June · 40 checklists that week, 1,311 in all98%
  4. Market Lake Wildlife Management Area (northwest)Jefferson County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 135 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (60% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 66% of 9122 checklists7 am: 57% of 22204 checklists8 am: 52% of 38672 checklists9 am: 47% of 38930 checklists10 am: 41% of 37338 checklists11 am: 37% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 34% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 33% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 32% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 33% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 37% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 43% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 48% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 54% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January24%25%25%26%
February28%26%30%35%
March39%44%48%51%
April54%54%54%58%
May60%62%64%64%
June64%64%65%64%
July63%58%53%46%
August38%32%29%24%
September25%28%29%32%
October33%30%27%26%
November25%25%25%26%
December28%27%28%27%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives mid March, in the same week than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives mid March, in the same week than Idaho
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early May
  • Washington: arrives late February, 3 weeks earlier than Idaho

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Idaho?
American Robins are in Idaho all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid June (64% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 25% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Idaho?
American Robins never fully leave Idaho: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late July, but some are still reported in every week, about 25% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Idaho?
The American Robin is reported most often in mid June, on about 64% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Clearwater County, and Lewis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).