WhenToBird

Leucosticte tephrocotis · Fringillidae

When Do Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Photo: Hunter Hickok, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in early December, peak in mid January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 1-7early December
Common byDec 1-7early December
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: mid January. First arrivals early December; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 1.2% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% 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. Jackson CountyBest mid January · 13 checklists that week, 7,472 in all46%
  2. Clear Creek CountyBest late January · 127 checklists that week, 8,581 in all30%
  3. San Juan CountyBest mid March · 13 checklists that week, 2,012 in all26%
  4. Grand CountyBest late January · 109 checklists that week, 11,286 in all20%
  5. Gunnison CountyBest late February · 33 checklists that week, 9,894 in all18%
  6. Summit CountyBest early April · 290 checklists that week, 14,176 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Allenspark (Ferncliff)Boulder County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 187 in all86%
  2. Lake QuiviraClear Creek County, best mid January · 27 checklists that week, 1,149 in all80%
  3. Mesa Cortina/Wildemest BufferSummit County, best late March · 42 checklists that week, 596 in all65%
  4. Robbins ReservoirMesa County, best the second week of January · 28 checklists that week, 458 in all62%
  5. Gunnison National ForestGunnison County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 157 in all60%
  6. Pike National ForestEl Paso County, best late December · 31 checklists that week, 434 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.1% of 71991 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 159189 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.0%1.2%1.3%1.2%
February1.1%1.1%0.9%1.0%
March0.9%0.9%0.8%0.7%
April0.7%0.6%0.4%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.1%0.2%0.2%0.4%
December0.4%0.7%0.5%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives late October, 5 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives late November, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Montana: arrives mid October, 6 weeks earlier than Colorado

Common questions

When do Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches arrive in Colorado?
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in early December, peak in mid January (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches leave Colorado?
Most Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches have left Colorado by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch in Colorado?
The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch is reported most often in mid January, on about 1.2% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches seen most often?
By county, Jackson County, Clear Creek County, and San Juan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).