WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult American White Pelican
Photo: Craig K, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American White Pelicans are winter birds in New Mexico: they arrive in the second week of July, peak in early October (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 2.1% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.2% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.9% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.3% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 14523 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 Mexico 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 Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colfax CountyBest the second week of September · 154 checklists that week, 8,053 in all28%
  2. De Baca CountyBest the second week of October · 65 checklists that week, 2,203 in all23%
  3. Eddy CountyBest the second week of January · 238 checklists that week, 11,011 in all20%
  4. Sierra CountyBest mid October · 254 checklists that week, 13,458 in all18%
  5. Socorro CountyBest late September · 528 checklists that week, 33,508 in all12%
  6. Chaves CountyBest the second week of September · 93 checklists that week, 5,298 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Brantley LakeEddy County, best late January · 26 checklists that week, 542 in all91%
  2. Eagle Nest LakeColfax County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 253 in all90%
  3. Elephant Butte Lake State Park (Three Sisters Point)Sierra County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 180 in all89%
  4. Sumner Lake State ParkDe Baca County, best early October · 30 checklists that week, 473 in all75%
  5. Rock CanyonSierra County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 189 in all72%
  6. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (southwest)Socorro County, best late September · 68 checklists that week, 2,113 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (186) to judge1 am: too few checklists (180) to judge2 am: too few checklists (172) to judge3 am: too few checklists (183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (527) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4013) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 29677 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 71785 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 79208 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 61605 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 49588 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 15112 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (9040) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2738) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (736) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (384) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January1.2%1.0%1.2%0.9%
February0.9%0.8%0.9%1.1%
March0.7%0.6%1.0%1.0%
April1.0%0.9%0.9%0.8%
May0.7%0.5%0.5%0.5%
June0.3%0.3%0.5%0.5%
July0.4%0.5%0.7%0.8%
August0.7%0.9%1.0%1.0%
September1.5%1.5%2.0%2.2%
October1.9%2.3%1.7%1.7%
November1.6%1.6%1.0%1.0%
December1.0%1.0%1.0%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives early October, 11 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Colorado: arrives early March, 17 weeks earlier than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives mid January, 23 weeks earlier than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives late July, 2 weeks later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in New Mexico?
American White Pelicans are winter birds in New Mexico: they arrive in the second week of July, peak in early October (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do American White Pelicans leave New Mexico?
Most American White Pelicans have left New Mexico by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in New Mexico?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in early October, on about 2.1% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Colfax County, De Baca County, and Eddy County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).