WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Ohio?

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

American Robins are in Ohio all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of June (77% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 27% of checklists.

When to look

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

Best: the second week of June. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 77% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  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: 27% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 30% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 31% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 40% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 50% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 60% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 65% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 71% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 75% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 76% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 76% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 77% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 74% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 70% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 73% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 76% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 76% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 77% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 78% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 75% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 73% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 72% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 67% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 61% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 53% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 45% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 40% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 38% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 38% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 40% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 44% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 44% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 47% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 48% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 46% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 46% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 43% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 33% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 29% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 32% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Paulding CountyBest the second week of June · 19 checklists that week, 1,653 in all96%
  2. Henry CountyBest early June · 11 checklists that week, 1,217 in all93%
  3. Clark CountyBest the second week of June · 173 checklists that week, 14,637 in all91%
  4. Union CountyBest the second week of June · 247 checklists that week, 12,023 in all90%
  5. Fayette CountyBest the second week of May · 47 checklists that week, 1,451 in all90%
  6. Defiance CountyBest the second week of April · 45 checklists that week, 1,801 in all89%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand River Wildlife AreaTrumbull County, best late March · 45 checklists that week, 1,401 in all100%
  2. T.J. Evans Family ParkLicking County, best mid April · 23 checklists that week, 866 in all100%
  3. Infirmary Mound ParkLicking County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 376 in all100%
  4. Hoover Community Rec ComplexStark County, best early June · 35 checklists that week, 1,912 in all100%
  5. Jackson BogStark County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 333 in all100%
  6. Mill CreekLake County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 291 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (72% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 78% of 43093 checklists7 am: 70% of 142017 checklists8 am: 63% of 205296 checklists9 am: 57% of 196322 checklists10 am: 51% of 170882 checklists11 am: 48% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 46% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 44% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 44% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 46% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 50% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 56% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 62% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 65% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January27%28%27%30%
February30%31%32%40%
March50%60%65%71%
April75%76%76%77%
May74%70%73%76%
June76%77%78%75%
July73%72%67%61%
August53%45%40%38%
September38%40%44%44%
October47%48%46%46%
November43%38%33%29%
December28%29%32%32%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Ohio
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Ohio?
American Robins are in Ohio all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of June (77% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 27% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Ohio?
American Robins never fully leave Ohio: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 27% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Ohio?
The American Robin is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 77% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Paulding County, Henry County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).