WhenToBird

Psaltriparus minimus · Aegithalidae

When Do Bushtits Arrive in Utah?

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

Bushtits are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in mid February, they are common by late February, peak in late October (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byDec 22-31late December

Best: late October. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by late December. Peak: on about 2.4% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.1% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.6% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.4% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.4% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.4% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.3% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.7% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest early November · 42 checklists that week, 4,300 in all14%
  2. Kane CountyBest late November · 132 checklists that week, 6,105 in all14%
  3. Garfield CountyBest the second week of March · 130 checklists that week, 10,367 in all14%
  4. San Juan CountyBest mid March · 131 checklists that week, 6,877 in all13%
  5. Washington CountyBest late November · 973 checklists that week, 43,893 in all9.1%
  6. Tooele CountyBest mid January · 56 checklists that week, 4,788 in all8.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Welcome SpringWashington County, best the second week of April · 38 checklists that week, 143 in all38%
  2. Snow Canyon State ParkWashington County, best mid October · 23 checklists that week, 699 in all36%
  3. Emerald PoolsWashington County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 535 in all28%
  4. Yellow Fork CanyonSalt Lake County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 817 in all25%
  5. Soldiers PassUtah County, best late May · 31 checklists that week, 281 in all25%
  6. Cottonwood Canyon (Utah Bottoms)Grand County, best late August · 35 checklists that week, 352 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Bushtit is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 2.4% of 11714 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 33209 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 46944 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 46290 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 43144 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.9% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January0.8%1.1%1.0%1.1%
February0.9%0.7%1.0%1.3%
March1.5%2.0%2.0%2.3%
April1.9%2.1%1.7%1.8%
May1.9%1.8%1.5%1.6%
June1.3%1.4%1.4%1.3%
July1.5%1.2%1.6%1.6%
August1.2%1.6%1.3%1.6%
September1.3%1.6%1.7%1.8%
October1.8%2.1%2.5%2.4%
November2.4%1.9%2.4%2.3%
December1.7%1.2%1.7%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late May
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks late March
  • Arizona: arrives the second week of February, 1 week earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Bushtits arrive in Utah?
Bushtits are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in mid February, they are common by late February, peak in late October (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.
When do Bushtits leave Utah?
Most Bushtits have left Utah by late December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late January.
When is the best time to see a Bushtit in Utah?
The Bushtit is reported most often in late October, on about 2.4% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Bushtits seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Kane County, and Garfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bushtit (counties with at least 200 checklists).