WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in New Jersey?

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

American Robins are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (68% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 26% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 68% of New Jersey 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: 26% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 28% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 41% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 51% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 60% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 66% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 68% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 68% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 68% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 68% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 67% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 61% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 62% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 65% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 68% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 68% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 66% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 65% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 65% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 61% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 58% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 54% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 48% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 43% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 39% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 38% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 36% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 34% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 34% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 34% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 33% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 36% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 42% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 47% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 44% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 42% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 37% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 32% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 34% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 30% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Essex CountyBest mid April · 692 checklists that week, 28,396 in all88%
  2. Bergen CountyBest late April · 2547 checklists that week, 73,457 in all84%
  3. Mercer CountyBest the second week of May · 2095 checklists that week, 56,614 in all84%
  4. Middlesex CountyBest late May · 1334 checklists that week, 46,761 in all83%
  5. Camden CountyBest mid May · 678 checklists that week, 25,931 in all83%
  6. Passaic CountyBest late April · 1220 checklists that week, 24,933 in all83%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hopkins PondCamden County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 865 in all100%
  2. Tenefly Nature CenterBergen County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 477 in all100%
  3. South Mountain ReservationEssex County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 974 in all100%
  4. Mt Rose PreserveMercer County, best mid April · 23 checklists that week, 497 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (63% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 69% of 50447 checklists7 am: 61% of 118312 checklists8 am: 54% of 123273 checklists9 am: 48% of 107783 checklists10 am: 43% of 97537 checklists11 am: 39% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 37% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 36% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 36% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 39% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 42% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 50% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 54% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January26%26%26%28%
February28%27%29%35%
March41%51%60%66%
April68%68%68%68%
May67%61%62%65%
June68%68%66%65%
July65%61%58%54%
August48%43%39%38%
September36%34%34%34%
October33%34%36%42%
November47%44%42%37%
December32%31%34%30%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Connecticut: arrives mid March, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives mid March, 1 week later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in New Jersey?
American Robins are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (68% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 26% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave New Jersey?
American Robins never fully leave New Jersey: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 26% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in New Jersey?
The American Robin is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 68% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Bergen County, and Mercer County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).