WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Minnesota?

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

American Robins are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of May (67% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 8.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byAug 8-14the second week of August
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by the second week of August. Peak: on about 67% of Minnesota checklists.

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

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 11% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 10% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.9% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.4% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.5% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 32% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 41% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 51% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 59% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 63% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 62% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 63% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 66% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 68% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 65% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 64% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 65% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 65% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 65% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 65% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 65% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 63% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 60% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 51% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 44% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 37% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 34% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 32% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 32% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 33% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 32% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 39% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 46% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 47% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 47% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 39% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 29% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 22% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nobles CountyBest mid June · 18 checklists that week, 1,250 in all85%
  2. Cottonwood CountyBest late June · 103 checklists that week, 4,171 in all84%
  3. Benton CountyBest late June · 114 checklists that week, 6,111 in all82%
  4. Ramsey CountyBest late May · 2893 checklists that week, 83,239 in all81%
  5. Le Sueur CountyBest mid June · 104 checklists that week, 5,034 in all80%
  6. McLeod CountyBest late June · 61 checklists that week, 3,198 in all80%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Port Crosby ParkDakota County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 1,038 in all100%
  2. Maplewood Nature CenterRamsey County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 1,664 in all100%
  3. Western Waterfront TrailSt. Louis County, best late June · 51 checklists that week, 1,973 in all100%
  4. Arden ParkHennepin County, best late March · 33 checklists that week, 1,264 in all100%
  5. Oakdale Nature Preserve ParkWashington County, best mid June · 27 checklists that week, 2,380 in all99%
  6. Crosby Farm Regional ParkRamsey County, best late June · 67 checklists that week, 3,063 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (57% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 66% of 35775 checklists7 am: 54% of 90565 checklists8 am: 49% of 110612 checklists9 am: 44% of 106128 checklists10 am: 40% of 96131 checklists11 am: 36% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 35% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 33% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 33% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 35% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 40% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 49% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 54% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 57% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January11%10%10%10%
February8.9%8.4%7.5%11%
March19%32%41%51%
April59%63%62%63%
May66%68%65%64%
June65%65%65%65%
July65%63%60%51%
August44%37%34%32%
September32%33%32%39%
October46%47%47%39%
November29%22%18%15%
December14%14%14%12%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: year-round, peaks late June
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of June
  • North Dakota: arrives late March, 1 week later than Minnesota

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Minnesota?
American Robins are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of May (67% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 8.2% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Minnesota?
American Robins never fully leave Minnesota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of August, but some are still reported in every week, about 8.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Minnesota?
The American Robin is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 67% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Nobles County, Cottonwood County, and Benton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).