WhenToBird

Sayornis nigricans · Tyrannidae

When Do Black Phoebes Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Black Phoebe
Photo: Esteban Poveda, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Phoebes arrive in Colorado in mid March, peak in mid April (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: mid April. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 1.0% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.7% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% 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.

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Where in Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. La Plata CountyBest early September · 523 checklists that week, 21,744 in all14%
  2. Fremont CountyBest early May · 466 checklists that week, 15,522 in all9.6%
  3. Dolores CountyBest the second week of April · 49 checklists that week, 2,000 in all9.5%
  4. Pueblo CountyBest mid April · 762 checklists that week, 26,547 in all8.6%
  5. Mesa CountyBest late August · 866 checklists that week, 45,553 in all7.5%
  6. Montezuma CountyBest late August · 409 checklists that week, 15,992 in all7.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huck Finn PondLa Plata County, best the second week of April · 43 checklists that week, 2,708 in all60%
  2. Wingate South ParkJefferson County, best the second week of July · 23 checklists that week, 164 in all56%
  3. Claymore LakeLarimer County, best the second week of April · 29 checklists that week, 253 in all54%
  4. Mary Kyer ParkEl Paso County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 168 in all43%
  5. James M. Robb - Colorado River State ParkMesa County, best mid August · 37 checklists that week, 1,898 in all42%
  6. Lake Pueblo State Park (Rock Canyon)Pueblo County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 607 in all41%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Black Phoebe is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.4% of 71991 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 159189 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.4%0.1%0.2%0.2%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.2%0.4%0.7%
April0.9%1.0%1.1%1.0%
May0.7%0.8%0.7%0.7%
June0.6%0.5%0.5%0.4%
July0.4%0.5%0.4%0.6%
August0.6%0.7%0.8%0.9%
September0.9%0.8%0.9%0.6%
October0.3%0.2%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.2%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks early April
  • Utah: arrives mid January, 8 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Arizona: arrives early September, 22 weeks later than Colorado
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Black Phoebes arrive in Colorado?
Black Phoebes arrive in Colorado in mid March, peak in mid April (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Black Phoebes leave Colorado?
Most Black Phoebes have left Colorado by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black Phoebe in Colorado?
The Black Phoebe is reported most often in mid April, on about 1.0% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Black Phoebes seen most often?
By county, La Plata County, Fremont County, and Dolores County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Phoebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).