WhenToBird

Pheucticus melanocephalus · Cardinalidae

When Do Black-headed Grosbeaks Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Black-headed Grosbeak
Photo: Dan Vickers, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-headed Grosbeaks reach Colorado in late April, are common by early May, peak in late May (16% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: late May. First arrivals late April; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 16% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.3% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.9% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.7% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.1% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.4% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.6% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.2% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.5% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.9% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.3% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30802 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 Colorado 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huerfano CountyBest late May · 315 checklists that week, 3,008 in all49%
  2. La Plata CountyBest late May · 1002 checklists that week, 21,744 in all44%
  3. Las Animas CountyBest late May · 254 checklists that week, 3,491 in all39%
  4. Teller CountyBest early June · 279 checklists that week, 11,258 in all37%
  5. Custer CountyBest the second week of June · 137 checklists that week, 3,017 in all37%
  6. Dolores CountyBest late May · 95 checklists that week, 2,000 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Northgate Open SpaceEl Paso County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 403 in all98%
  2. Big Salt Wash GreenwayMesa County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 198 in all95%
  3. Red CanyonMesa County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 391 in all92%
  4. James M. Robb - Colorado River State Park - Connected LakesMesa County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 1,425 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Black-headed Grosbeak is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 9.4% of 71991 checklists7 am: 6.6% of 159189 checklists8 am: 4.9% of 177206 checklists9 am: 3.9% of 165269 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 141029 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.5%
May4.3%11%16%16%
June14%13%11%11%
July9.9%8.7%8.1%8.4%
August7.6%7.2%5.5%3.9%
September2.3%1.1%0.4%0.2%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0%0.1%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early May, 1 week later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives late April, in the same week than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives early May, 1 week later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Black-headed Grosbeaks arrive in Colorado?
Black-headed Grosbeaks reach Colorado in late April, are common by early May, peak in late May (16% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Black-headed Grosbeaks leave Colorado?
Most Black-headed Grosbeaks have left Colorado by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Black-headed Grosbeak in Colorado?
The Black-headed Grosbeak is reported most often in late May, on about 16% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Black-headed Grosbeaks seen most often?
By county, Huerfano County, La Plata County, and Las Animas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-headed Grosbeak (counties with at least 200 checklists).