WhenToBird

Patagioenas fasciata · Columbidae

When Do Band-tailed Pigeons Arrive in Washington?

Adult Band-tailed Pigeon
Photo: Irene, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Band-tailed Pigeons reach Washington in early March, are common by late March, peak in the second week of June (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals early March; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 8.4% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.1% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.9% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.6% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.7% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.7% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.3% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.5% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.2% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.4% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.6% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.2% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.7% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.5% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.9% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.4% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.0% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.8% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.8% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.7% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.6% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.9% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.4% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.9% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.5% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% 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. Mason CountyBest mid May · 600 checklists that week, 27,853 in all36%
  2. Wahkiakum CountyBest late May · 209 checklists that week, 5,618 in all34%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest late May · 1893 checklists that week, 59,663 in all31%
  4. Thurston CountyBest early June · 1438 checklists that week, 68,352 in all21%
  5. Pacific CountyBest early June · 293 checklists that week, 19,516 in all20%
  6. Skamania CountyBest early September · 328 checklists that week, 10,140 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management Area (south 3)Clark County, best early September · 22 checklists that week, 153 in all81%
  2. Canal RoadCowlitz County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 700 in all81%
  3. Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management Area (Left Fork Skamokawa Creek)Wahkiakum County, best the second week of May · 48 checklists that week, 1,179 in all75%
  4. Skagit, Washington Wild and Scenic RiverSkagit County, best late May · 38 checklists that week, 574 in all73%
  5. Upper Lynch CoveMason County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 915 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Band-tailed Pigeon is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.3% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 10% of 56744 checklists7 am: 7.5% of 133294 checklists8 am: 5.5% of 184196 checklists9 am: 4.1% of 186303 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 177063 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 4.2% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 4.4% 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
January0.4%0.3%0.4%0.3%
February0.4%0.7%0.7%0.9%
March1.2%1.5%2.3%3.1%
April3.9%4.6%5.7%6.7%
May7.3%7.5%8.2%8.2%
June8.4%8.6%8.2%7.7%
July7.5%6.9%6.4%6.3%
August6.0%5.8%5.8%5.7%
September5.6%4.9%4.4%3.9%
October2.9%2.0%1.3%0.9%
November0.5%0.5%0.3%0.3%
December0.3%0.4%0.3%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Washington
  • California: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Washington
  • Arizona: arrives early May, 8 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Band-tailed Pigeons arrive in Washington?
Band-tailed Pigeons reach Washington in early March, are common by late March, peak in the second week of June (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Band-tailed Pigeons leave Washington?
Most Band-tailed Pigeons have left Washington by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Band-tailed Pigeon in Washington?
The Band-tailed Pigeon is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 8.4% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Band-tailed Pigeons seen most often?
By county, Mason County, Wahkiakum County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Band-tailed Pigeon (counties with at least 200 checklists).