WhenToBird

Sturnus vulgaris · Sturnidae

When Do European Starlings Arrive in Montana?

Adult female European Starling
Photo: egorbirder, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

European Starlings are in Montana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in late March (41% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 12% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byJun 8-14the second week of June
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by the second week of June. Peak: on about 41% of Montana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 13% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 17% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 23% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 31% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 35% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 42% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 41% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 40% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 41% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 42% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 40% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 38% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 39% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 35% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 29% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 32% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 33% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 34% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 18% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% 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. Custer CountyBest late May · 107 checklists that week, 1,404 in all62%
  2. Musselshell CountyBest early October · 17 checklists that week, 961 in all61%
  3. Phillips CountyBest mid January · 14 checklists that week, 4,818 in all59%
  4. Sweet Grass CountyBest the second week of March · 10 checklists that week, 1,532 in all57%
  5. Deer Lodge CountyBest late March · 259 checklists that week, 8,732 in all54%
  6. Chouteau CountyBest early May · 27 checklists that week, 954 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Willow CreekGallatin County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 911 in all93%
  2. Giant Springs State ParkCascade County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 1,249 in all91%
  3. Creekwood Subdvision Public ParkGallatin County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 193 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the European Starling is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (38% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 35% of 12719 checklists7 am: 39% of 31202 checklists8 am: 35% of 47646 checklists9 am: 32% of 44624 checklists10 am: 27% of 40704 checklists11 am: 23% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 20% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 20% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 20% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 23% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 26% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 31% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 33% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 27% 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
January13%12%11%12%
February13%15%17%23%
March31%35%42%41%
April41%40%41%42%
May40%38%39%35%
June33%29%26%24%
July22%20%19%19%
August21%21%23%25%
September28%29%32%33%
October34%31%30%26%
November21%18%15%13%
December12%13%14%12%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of February, 3 weeks earlier than Montana
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of January
  • Washington: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do European Starlings arrive in Montana?
European Starlings are in Montana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in late March (41% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 12% of checklists.
When do European Starlings leave Montana?
European Starlings never fully leave Montana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of June, but some are still reported in every week, about 12% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a European Starling in Montana?
The European Starling is reported most often in late March, on about 41% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are European Starlings seen most often?
By county, Custer County, Musselshell County, and Phillips County have the highest peak reporting rates for the European Starling (counties with at least 200 checklists).