WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in North Dakota?

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

American Robins are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of May (65% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 5.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 65% of North Dakota checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 10% of 1694 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.6% of 1210 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.4% of 1263 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.7% of 1984 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.9% of 1209 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.0% of 1307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.4% of 1655 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.6% of 1619 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.9% of 1653 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 1818 checklistsMar 15-21: 26% of 2103 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 3714 checklistsApr 1-7: 53% of 2955 checklistsApr 8-14: 58% of 3550 checklistsApr 15-21: 59% of 4104 checklistsApr 22-30: 60% of 5712 checklistsMay 1-7: 63% of 5328 checklistsMay 8-14: 66% of 5885 checklistsMay 15-21: 65% of 5344 checklistsMay 22-31: 60% of 7512 checklistsJun 1-7: 53% of 4329 checklistsJun 8-14: 49% of 4287 checklistsJun 15-21: 53% of 3798 checklistsJun 22-30: 52% of 4361 checklistsJul 1-7: 54% of 2939 checklistsJul 8-14: 52% of 2407 checklistsJul 15-21: 48% of 2254 checklistsJul 22-31: 47% of 2852 checklistsAug 1-7: 43% of 2119 checklistsAug 8-14: 41% of 2044 checklistsAug 15-21: 43% of 2124 checklistsAug 22-31: 45% of 3168 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 2449 checklistsSep 8-14: 47% of 2310 checklistsSep 15-21: 49% of 2092 checklistsSep 22-30: 48% of 2565 checklistsOct 1-7: 56% of 2071 checklistsOct 8-14: 53% of 1918 checklistsOct 15-21: 41% of 1907 checklistsOct 22-31: 30% of 2589 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 1858 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 1753 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 1483 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.8% of 1928 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.9% of 1337 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 1309 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.4% of 1642 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.5% of 1830 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Steele CountyBest early July · 93 checklists that week, 6,291 in all92%
  2. Stark CountyBest the second week of May · 218 checklists that week, 4,072 in all84%
  3. Traill CountyBest mid June · 19 checklists that week, 764 in all83%
  4. Pierce CountyBest the second week of October · 13 checklists that week, 403 in all82%
  5. Morton CountyBest early October · 48 checklists that week, 3,404 in all81%
  6. LaMoure CountyBest early June · 13 checklists that week, 472 in all79%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oak ParkWard County, best early June · 34 checklists that week, 777 in all100%
  2. Sleepy Hollow/Exchange Club ParkBurleigh County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 527 in all100%
  3. General Sibley ParkBurleigh County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 316 in all100%
  4. BOR LandsStark County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 357 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In North Dakota, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (61% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (74) to judge1 am: too few checklists (45) to judge2 am: too few checklists (42) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (274) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1538) to judge6 am: 68% of 4242 checklists7 am: 57% of 9520 checklists8 am: 47% of 13065 checklists9 am: 44% of 13356 checklists10 am: 41% of 12128 checklists11 am: 37% of 10772 checklists12 pm: 36% of 10316 checklists1 pm: 35% of 9169 checklists2 pm: 34% of 8880 checklists3 pm: 35% of 8688 checklists4 pm: 38% of 8201 checklists5 pm: 45% of 6687 checklists6 pm: 50% of 5455 checklists7 pm: 52% of 3926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2024) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (602) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (181) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (89) 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
January10%7.6%7.4%8.7%
February6.9%5.0%5.4%8.6%
March9.9%17%26%41%
April53%58%59%60%
May63%66%65%60%
June53%49%53%52%
July54%52%48%47%
August43%41%43%45%
September45%47%49%48%
October56%53%41%30%
November20%15%11%8.8%
December7.9%10%9.4%8.5%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of June
  • Minnesota: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than North Dakota
  • Nebraska: arrives early March, 3 weeks earlier than North Dakota
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks late June

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in North Dakota?
American Robins are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of May (65% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 5.7% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave North Dakota?
American Robins never fully leave North Dakota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in North Dakota?
The American Robin is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 65% of North Dakota checklists.
Where in North Dakota are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Steele County, Stark County, and Traill County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).