WhenToBird

Psaltriparus minimus · Aegithalidae

When Do Bushtits Arrive in California?

Adult male Bushtit
Photo: Tser, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Bushtit is in California all year. It turns up on about 30% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 18% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 30% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 18% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 19% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 20% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 25% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 26% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 27% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 28% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 28% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 29% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 29% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 25% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 23% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 22% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 22% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 25% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 26% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 26% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 24% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 22% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 22% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 20% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 20% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 20% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 19% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Orange CountyBest late April · 6687 checklists that week, 244,559 in all45%
  2. Yolo CountyBest early May · 1638 checklists that week, 67,424 in all44%
  3. Ventura CountyBest mid April · 2186 checklists that week, 94,391 in all43%
  4. Contra Costa CountyBest the second week of May · 2852 checklists that week, 115,071 in all41%
  5. Los Angeles CountyBest early May · 9178 checklists that week, 410,235 in all41%
  6. Sacramento CountyBest the second week of May · 2885 checklists that week, 121,767 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Laughlin ParkSan Joaquin County, best late April · 33 checklists that week, 538 in all98%
  2. DeForest ParkLos Angeles County, best late April · 45 checklists that week, 599 in all97%
  3. City Park, Bike Trail CorridorPlacer County, best late April · 55 checklists that week, 513 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Bushtit is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 28% of 186053 checklists7 am: 31% of 444086 checklists8 am: 29% of 535846 checklists9 am: 26% of 486061 checklists10 am: 23% of 411130 checklists11 am: 20% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 20% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 19% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 19% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 19% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 19% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 21% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 19% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January18%17%18%19%
February20%21%22%25%
March26%27%28%28%
April29%29%29%30%
May30%29%29%28%
June26%25%23%22%
July22%21%21%20%
August20%20%20%22%
September24%25%26%26%
October24%23%22%22%
November21%20%20%20%
December20%20%20%19%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late May
  • Utah: winter visitor, peaks late October
  • Arizona: summer visitor, peaks late May
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do Bushtits arrive in California?
The Bushtit is in California all year. It turns up on about 30% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 18% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Bushtits leave California?
The Bushtit does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 18% of checklists in the second week of January to 30% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Bushtit in California?
The Bushtit is reported most often in late April, on about 30% of California checklists.
Where in California are Bushtits seen most often?
By county, Orange County, Yolo County, and Ventura County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bushtit (counties with at least 200 checklists).