WhenToBird

Pica hudsonia · Corvidae

When Do Black-billed Magpies Arrive in Montana?

Adult Black-billed Magpie
Photo: Mayela y Ramón, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Black-billed Magpie is in Montana all year. It turns up on about 58% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 20% in its quietest week (late July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 8-14the second week of December
Quietest weekJul 22-31late July

Best: the second week of December. Here all year. Peak: on about 58% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 56% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 55% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 56% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 53% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 50% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 51% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 50% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 51% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 51% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 51% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 49% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 46% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 45% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 43% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 43% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 41% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 39% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 39% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 40% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 33% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 32% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 29% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 27% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 24% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 20% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 22% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 28% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 32% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 38% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 43% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 47% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 52% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 54% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 54% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 56% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 57% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 58% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 57% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 56% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 56% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 57% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 60% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 54% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Powell CountyBest late January · 76 checklists that week, 5,305 in all83%
  2. Gallatin CountyBest the second week of December · 830 checklists that week, 66,365 in all81%
  3. Beaverhead CountyBest late December · 53 checklists that week, 8,224 in all80%
  4. Madison CountyBest the second week of January · 15 checklists that week, 7,008 in all79%
  5. Meagher CountyBest late January · 16 checklists that week, 1,201 in all79%
  6. Broadwater CountyBest mid January · 20 checklists that week, 2,470 in all77%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cherry River Fishing Access SiteGallatin County, best mid January · 21 checklists that week, 2,025 in all100%
  2. Cemetery ParkGallatin County, best late November · 28 checklists that week, 1,029 in all100%
  3. Nature ParkLewis and Clark County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 1,111 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Black-billed Magpie is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (47% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 35% of 12719 checklists7 am: 43% of 31202 checklists8 am: 47% of 47646 checklists9 am: 47% of 44624 checklists10 am: 44% of 40704 checklists11 am: 42% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 40% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 40% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 41% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 39% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 38% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 34% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 30% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 28% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January56%55%56%53%
February50%51%50%51%
March51%51%49%46%
April45%43%43%41%
May39%39%40%33%
June32%29%29%27%
July24%21%20%20%
August21%22%24%28%
September32%38%43%47%
October52%54%54%56%
November57%58%57%56%
December56%57%60%54%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid November
  • Wyoming: all year, most in winter, peaks early January
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of January
  • Washington: summer visitor, peaks mid May

Common questions

When do Black-billed Magpies arrive in Montana?
The Black-billed Magpie is in Montana all year. It turns up on about 58% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 20% in its quietest week (late July).
When do Black-billed Magpies leave Montana?
The Black-billed Magpie does not leave Montana: it is reported all year, from 20% of checklists in late July to 58% in the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Black-billed Magpie in Montana?
The Black-billed Magpie is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 58% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Black-billed Magpies seen most often?
By county, Powell County, Gallatin County, and Beaverhead County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-billed Magpie (counties with at least 200 checklists).