WhenToBird

Poecile rufescens · Paridae

When Do Chestnut-backed Chickadees Arrive in Montana?

Adult Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Chestnut-backed Chickadees are winter birds in Montana: the first arrive in late May, they are common by the second week of June, peak in late February (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 22-31late May
Common byJun 8-14the second week of June
PeakFeb 22-28late February
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: late February. First arrivals late May; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 1.2% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.6% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest late February · 52 checklists that week, 5,543 in all18%
  2. Mineral CountyBest the second week of October · 22 checklists that week, 2,163 in all10%
  3. Sanders CountyBest late August · 99 checklists that week, 3,767 in all10%
  4. Flathead CountyBest mid December · 493 checklists that week, 40,185 in all8.3%
  5. Lake CountyBest the second week of June · 425 checklists that week, 19,478 in all4.5%
  6. Ravalli CountyBest the second week of December · 265 checklists that week, 16,671 in all2.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Johns LakeFlathead County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 221 in all16%
  2. Avalanche LakeFlathead County, best mid July · 25 checklists that week, 338 in all14%
  3. Glacier National Park (southwest)Flathead County, best mid June · 21 checklists that week, 281 in all13%
  4. Glacier National Park (Snyder Creek)Flathead County, best the second week of October · 25 checklists that week, 333 in all12%
  5. Glacier National Park (west)Flathead County, best the second week of July · 21 checklists that week, 230 in all9.6%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 12719 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 31202 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 47646 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 44624 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 40704 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 0.5% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January1.1%1.3%0.8%1.1%
February1.2%1.1%1.3%1.2%
March1.1%1.0%0.7%0.7%
April0.8%0.6%0.4%0.5%
May0.5%0.4%0.6%0.5%
June0.6%0.9%1.1%1.0%
July1.0%0.9%1.0%1.0%
August0.7%0.9%0.9%0.8%
September1.0%0.6%0.8%0.6%
October0.8%0.5%0.6%0.6%
November0.7%0.6%1.1%1.0%
December0.8%1.0%1.2%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early March
  • Washington: year-round, peaks early August
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • California: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Chestnut-backed Chickadees arrive in Montana?
Chestnut-backed Chickadees are winter birds in Montana: the first arrive in late May, they are common by the second week of June, peak in late February (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Chestnut-backed Chickadees leave Montana?
Most Chestnut-backed Chickadees have left Montana by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Chestnut-backed Chickadee in Montana?
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is reported most often in late February, on about 1.2% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Chestnut-backed Chickadees seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Mineral County, and Sanders County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chestnut-backed Chickadee (counties with at least 200 checklists).