WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Maine?

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

American Robins are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of May (54% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (early January) they are still on about 7.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJul 22-31late July
FewestJan 1-7early January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by late July. Peak: on about 54% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 7.0% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.7% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.7% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 23% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 34% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 42% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 49% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 49% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 50% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 53% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 54% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 54% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 49% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 43% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 43% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 42% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 42% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 42% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 42% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 40% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 35% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 24% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 24% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 31% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 24% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 19% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.4% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.5% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.0% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.4% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.5% of 14285 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 Maine 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 Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Androscoggin CountyBest the second week of May · 810 checklists that week, 16,955 in all65%
  2. Kennebec CountyBest the second week of May · 1947 checklists that week, 48,185 in all62%
  3. Waldo CountyBest the second week of May · 1182 checklists that week, 33,433 in all61%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of May · 1602 checklists that week, 59,429 in all61%
  5. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of May · 8112 checklists that week, 169,501 in all58%
  6. Aroostook CountyBest early May · 353 checklists that week, 16,817 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Capisic Pond ParkCumberland County, best mid April · 147 checklists that week, 4,578 in all95%
  2. Knights CornerWaldo County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 779 in all95%
  3. Fort Foster ParkYork County, best late April · 76 checklists that week, 2,318 in all93%
  4. River Point Conservation AreaCumberland County, best the second week of May · 100 checklists that week, 1,146 in all93%
  5. Boothbay Harbor Wetland ProtectionLincoln County, best mid April · 49 checklists that week, 535 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (52% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 56% of 19895 checklists6 am: 51% of 54578 checklists7 am: 42% of 92775 checklists8 am: 36% of 86962 checklists9 am: 30% of 78989 checklists10 am: 26% of 70954 checklists11 am: 23% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 22% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 21% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 21% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 23% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 27% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 32% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 35% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) 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
January7.0%7.7%8.7%12%
February13%13%12%14%
March12%14%23%34%
April42%49%49%50%
May53%54%54%49%
June43%43%42%42%
July42%42%40%35%
August29%23%19%17%
September16%17%19%20%
October24%24%29%31%
November24%19%15%9.4%
December7.5%8.0%8.4%7.5%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Maine?
American Robins are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of May (54% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (early January) they are still on about 7.4% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Maine?
American Robins never fully leave Maine: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late July, but some are still reported in every week, about 7.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Maine?
The American Robin is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 54% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Androscoggin County, Kennebec County, and Waldo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).