WhenToBird

Catherpes mexicanus · Troglodytidae

When Do Canyon Wrens Arrive in Colorado?

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

Canyon Wrens reach Colorado in late February, are common by early March, peak in early August (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: early August. First arrivals late February; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 1.5% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.2% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.4% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.6% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% 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. Baca CountyBest the second week of May · 284 checklists that week, 3,209 in all27%
  2. Otero CountyBest early August · 61 checklists that week, 4,404 in all12%
  3. Las Animas CountyBest late April · 94 checklists that week, 3,491 in all9.8%
  4. Montezuma CountyBest early August · 307 checklists that week, 15,992 in all9.0%
  5. Moffat CountyBest late July · 144 checklists that week, 5,700 in all6.3%
  6. Mesa CountyBest mid April · 1315 checklists that week, 45,553 in all5.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colorado National MonumentMesa County, best late July · 28 checklists that week, 691 in all69%
  2. Comanche National GrasslandBaca County, best early May · 28 checklists that week, 219 in all66%
  3. Two Buttes Reservoir State Wildlife AreaBaca County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 392 in all59%
  4. Hall RanchBoulder County, best the second week of August · 60 checklists that week, 3,268 in all55%
  5. Two Buttes Reservoir State Wildlife Area (west)Baca County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 160 in all52%
  6. Red Rocks Park (Ship Rock)Jefferson County, best the second week of August · 42 checklists that week, 1,376 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Canyon Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.4% of 71991 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 159189 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 177206 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 165269 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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
January0.6%0.6%0.4%0.5%
February0.5%0.4%0.5%0.5%
March0.6%0.7%0.8%1.0%
April0.8%1.1%1.0%0.9%
May1.1%1.1%1.2%1.1%
June1.3%1.1%1.1%1.0%
July1.1%1.1%1.1%1.4%
August1.5%1.6%1.3%1.1%
September0.9%0.8%0.8%0.7%
October0.7%0.8%0.7%0.8%
November0.6%0.6%0.6%0.7%
December0.5%0.6%0.7%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives late February, in the same week than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives mid January, 5 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • South Dakota: arrives mid May, 11 weeks later than Colorado
  • Arizona: arrives late June, 16 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Canyon Wrens arrive in Colorado?
Canyon Wrens reach Colorado in late February, are common by early March, peak in early August (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Canyon Wrens leave Colorado?
Most Canyon Wrens have left Colorado by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid January.
When is the best time to see a Canyon Wren in Colorado?
The Canyon Wren is reported most often in early August, on about 1.5% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Canyon Wrens seen most often?
By county, Baca County, Otero County, and Las Animas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canyon Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).