WhenToBird

Nannopterum auritum · Phalacrocoracidae

When Do Double-crested Cormorants Arrive in Utah?

Adult Double-crested Cormorant
Photo: jubileej, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Double-crested Cormorants reach Utah in early January, are common by late February, peak in the second week of April (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 1-7early January
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals early January; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 12% of Utah checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.0% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.6% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.3% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.4% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.6% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.2% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.7% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.5% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.4% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.2% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.9% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.7% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.2% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.0% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.3% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.1% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.2% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.8% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.3% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.0% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.3% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.8% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.4% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.4% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.3% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.7% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.3% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% 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. Piute CountyBest early April · 17 checklists that week, 1,035 in all30%
  2. Davis CountyBest early April · 896 checklists that week, 39,952 in all28%
  3. Iron CountyBest early April · 226 checklists that week, 8,774 in all26%
  4. Box Elder CountyBest the second week of April · 302 checklists that week, 9,867 in all23%
  5. Juab CountyBest mid March · 66 checklists that week, 2,572 in all20%
  6. Beaver CountyBest mid March · 174 checklists that week, 6,956 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lee Kay State Wildlife CenterSalt Lake County, best early September · 43 checklists that week, 3,804 in all94%
  2. Grandpa's PondSalt Lake County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 564 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Double-crested Cormorant is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.0% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 9.6% of 11714 checklists7 am: 7.4% of 33209 checklists8 am: 6.3% of 46944 checklists9 am: 6.2% of 46290 checklists10 am: 6.5% of 43144 checklists11 am: 6.6% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 6.6% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 6.2% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 6.4% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 6.1% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 6.8% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 6.5% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 5.1% 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
January1.0%0.8%1.2%1.3%
February1.6%2.4%3.3%5.0%
March7.6%8.3%10%11%
April13%12%12%11%
May9.4%8.6%9.2%7.7%
June6.5%7.4%8.2%6.9%
July5.7%5.0%5.2%6.0%
August5.3%6.1%5.2%6.7%
September7.8%7.3%7.0%7.3%
October7.8%6.4%6.4%6.3%
November4.7%3.4%3.3%2.6%
December1.3%1.1%0.6%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives late March, 11 weeks later than Utah
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late March
  • Colorado: arrives late February, 7 weeks later than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of July, 23 weeks earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Double-crested Cormorants arrive in Utah?
Double-crested Cormorants reach Utah in early January, are common by late February, peak in the second week of April (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Double-crested Cormorants leave Utah?
Most Double-crested Cormorants have left Utah by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a Double-crested Cormorant in Utah?
The Double-crested Cormorant is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 12% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Double-crested Cormorants seen most often?
By county, Piute County, Davis County, and Iron County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Double-crested Cormorant (counties with at least 200 checklists).