WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Washington?

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

American Robins are in Washington all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in early June (67% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (late August) they are still on about 25% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 22-28late February
PeakJun 1-7early June
Fall back byJul 15-21mid July
FewestAug 22-31late August

Best: early June. Here all year; numbers build from late February and fall back by mid July. Peak: on about 67% of Washington 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: 32% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 32% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 34% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 34% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 37% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 39% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 41% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 49% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 54% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 59% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 62% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 63% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 64% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 63% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 64% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 67% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 67% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 67% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 66% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 68% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 67% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 67% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 67% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 65% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 63% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 58% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 53% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 46% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 38% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 31% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 26% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 26% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 33% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 40% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 44% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 44% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 42% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 37% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 33% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 32% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 34% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 33% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wahkiakum CountyBest mid May · 119 checklists that week, 5,618 in all87%
  2. Cowlitz CountyBest the second week of May · 417 checklists that week, 15,273 in all80%
  3. Clark CountyBest early May · 1508 checklists that week, 53,250 in all77%
  4. Skamania CountyBest late April · 292 checklists that week, 10,140 in all77%
  5. Spokane CountyBest late June · 1173 checklists that week, 43,379 in all76%
  6. Kitsap CountyBest the second week of May · 1944 checklists that week, 74,545 in all76%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. MansfordSkagit County, best mid March · 22 checklists that week, 428 in all100%
  2. Skagit, Washington Wild and Scenic River (Cascade River)Skagit County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 474 in all100%
  3. Three Rivers Mill PondSnohomish County, best the second week of April · 28 checklists that week, 688 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, 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 (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 67% of 56744 checklists7 am: 61% of 133294 checklists8 am: 56% of 184196 checklists9 am: 51% of 186303 checklists10 am: 47% of 177063 checklists11 am: 43% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 40% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 39% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 39% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 41% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 45% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 49% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 52% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January32%32%34%34%
February37%39%41%49%
March54%59%62%63%
April64%63%64%67%
May67%67%66%68%
June67%67%67%65%
July63%58%53%46%
August38%31%26%25%
September26%28%33%40%
October44%44%42%37%
November33%33%32%31%
December31%32%34%33%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early May
  • Idaho: arrives mid March, 3 weeks later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives mid March, 3 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late June

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Washington?
American Robins are in Washington all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in early June (67% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (late August) they are still on about 25% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Washington?
American Robins never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid July, but some are still reported in every week, about 25% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Washington?
The American Robin is reported most often in early June, on about 67% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Cowlitz County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).