WhenToBird

Catherpes mexicanus · Troglodytidae

When Do Canyon Wrens Arrive in California?

Adult Canyon Wren
Photo: Jo Roberts, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Canyon Wrens reach California in the second week of October, are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of April (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 1.0% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.5% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% 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. San Benito CountyBest the second week of June · 385 checklists that week, 25,997 in all13%
  2. Mariposa CountyBest late December · 281 checklists that week, 17,385 in all6.0%
  3. Madera CountyBest early April · 287 checklists that week, 11,452 in all5.8%
  4. Ventura CountyBest late April · 2807 checklists that week, 94,391 in all4.3%
  5. Tulare CountyBest early December · 317 checklists that week, 28,366 in all4.0%
  6. Santa Barbara CountyBest late April · 3241 checklists that week, 120,616 in all3.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Los Padres National Forest (Sisar Pasture)Ventura County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 199 in all84%
  2. Moses SpringSan Benito County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 430 in all72%
  3. Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County ParkSanta Clara County, best mid February · 29 checklists that week, 357 in all69%
  4. Kerkoff CanyonLos Angeles County, best late May · 31 checklists that week, 329 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Canyon Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.1% of 186053 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 444086 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 535846 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 486061 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.5%0.4%0.5%0.5%
February0.6%0.5%0.5%0.6%
March0.7%0.8%0.9%0.9%
April1.1%1.0%1.1%1.0%
May0.9%0.8%0.9%0.8%
June0.7%0.7%0.8%0.7%
July0.8%0.7%0.7%0.7%
August0.6%0.6%0.6%0.5%
September0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
October0.4%0.4%0.5%0.4%
November0.4%0.5%0.5%0.4%
December0.5%0.5%0.6%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives the second week of January, 12 weeks later than California
  • Utah: arrives mid January, 13 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives late June, 14 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: arrives mid January, 13 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Canyon Wrens arrive in California?
Canyon Wrens reach California in the second week of October, are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of April (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Canyon Wrens leave California?
Most Canyon Wrens have left California by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early September.
When is the best time to see a Canyon Wren in California?
The Canyon Wren is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 1.0% of California checklists.
Where in California are Canyon Wrens seen most often?
By county, San Benito County, Mariposa County, and Madera County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canyon Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).