WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

American Robins are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in late April (76% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 19% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byAug 8-14the second week of August
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by the second week of August. Peak: on about 76% of Pennsylvania 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. Decuncommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 19% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 20% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 19% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 22% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 22% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 24% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 32% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 42% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 54% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 64% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 70% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 73% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 74% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 76% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 77% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 76% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 76% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 76% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 76% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 75% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 74% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 73% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 74% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 74% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 72% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 69% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 63% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 56% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 49% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 44% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 42% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 40% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 40% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 44% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 44% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 48% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 47% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 49% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 48% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 47% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 39% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 27% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 22% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Philadelphia CountyBest mid April · 2846 checklists that week, 96,503 in all86%
  2. Beaver CountyBest the second week of May · 324 checklists that week, 8,775 in all85%
  3. Greene CountyBest late June · 109 checklists that week, 2,997 in all85%
  4. Northampton CountyBest late June · 800 checklists that week, 45,480 in all85%
  5. Washington CountyBest late June · 520 checklists that week, 23,823 in all84%
  6. Delaware CountyBest early June · 1560 checklists that week, 76,406 in all84%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. State Game Land 176 (northeast)Centre County, best early April · 23 checklists that week, 424 in all100%
  2. Prophecy Creek ParkMontgomery County, best late April · 32 checklists that week, 307 in all100%
  3. Monocacy CreekNorthampton County, best early July · 28 checklists that week, 739 in all100%
  4. Owls Nest ParkBucks County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 708 in all100%
  5. Janet Johnston Housenick & William D. Housenick Memorial ParkNorthampton County, best the second week of June · 51 checklists that week, 3,889 in all100%
  6. Armstrong Open SpaceLycoming County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 554 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (66% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 73% of 92903 checklists7 am: 63% of 241233 checklists8 am: 58% of 271994 checklists9 am: 53% of 236842 checklists10 am: 48% of 199508 checklists11 am: 44% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 43% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 42% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 42% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 44% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 48% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 58% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 64% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 67% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January19%20%19%22%
February22%22%24%32%
March42%54%64%70%
April73%74%76%77%
May76%76%76%76%
June75%74%73%74%
July74%72%69%63%
August56%49%44%42%
September40%40%44%44%
October48%47%49%48%
November47%39%32%27%
December23%22%22%23%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • District of Columbia: year-round, peaks late April
  • Delaware: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Pennsylvania?
American Robins are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in late April (76% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 19% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Pennsylvania?
American Robins never fully leave Pennsylvania: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of August, but some are still reported in every week, about 19% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Pennsylvania?
The American Robin is reported most often in late April, on about 76% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Philadelphia County, Beaver County, and Greene County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).