WhenToBird

Geococcyx californianus · Cuculidae

When Do Greater Roadrunners Arrive in Arizona?

Adult male Greater Roadrunner
Photo: Jody Shugart, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Greater Roadrunner is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 9.4% of checklists at its peak (late August) and on 6.1% in its quietest week (late April).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekAug 22-31late August
Quietest weekApr 22-30late April

Best: late August. Here all year. Peak: on about 9.4% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 6.4% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.2% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.1% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.8% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.5% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.0% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.1% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.5% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.1% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.9% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.4% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.4% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.6% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.0% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.2% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.3% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.3% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.6% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.7% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.1% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.7% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.3% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.2% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.3% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.9% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.8% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.4% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.4% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.1% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.7% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.3% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.0% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.8% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.3% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.6% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.2% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.5% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.9% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.2% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.8% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.8% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.1% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.8% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.4% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.0% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. La Paz CountyBest the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 7,279 in all26%
  2. Yuma CountyBest mid July · 120 checklists that week, 14,687 in all20%
  3. Mohave CountyBest the second week of July · 267 checklists that week, 18,083 in all17%
  4. Pinal CountyBest the second week of August · 609 checklists that week, 40,036 in all17%
  5. Greenlee CountyBest early December · 21 checklists that week, 2,745 in all15%
  6. Pima CountyBest late August · 8694 checklists that week, 437,722 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Area Water Recharge SiteMaricopa County, best mid October · 26 checklists that week, 1,913 in all70%
  2. Veterans Oasis ParkMaricopa County, best mid August · 35 checklists that week, 4,034 in all61%
  3. Sabino LakePima County, best late July · 75 checklists that week, 4,540 in all60%
  4. Ed Pastor Kino Environmental Restoration ProjectPima County, best late July · 59 checklists that week, 3,690 in all57%
  5. Mission GardensPima County, best the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 494 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Greater Roadrunner is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 14% of 38350 checklists6 am: 12% of 118786 checklists7 am: 9.4% of 183415 checklists8 am: 8.1% of 187346 checklists9 am: 7.2% of 151342 checklists10 am: 6.6% of 124522 checklists11 am: 6.1% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 5.9% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 5.7% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 5.6% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 4.4% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January6.4%6.2%6.1%6.8%
February6.5%7.0%7.1%7.2%
March7.5%7.1%6.9%7.4%
April7.4%6.6%6.3%6.0%
May6.2%6.3%6.3%6.6%
June6.7%7.1%7.7%8.3%
July8.2%8.3%8.9%8.8%
August8.4%8.4%9.1%9.7%
September9.3%9.0%8.8%8.3%
October8.6%8.2%8.5%7.9%
November8.2%7.7%6.8%6.8%
December7.1%6.8%6.4%6.0%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks mid August
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks mid October
  • California: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid August

Common questions

When do Greater Roadrunners arrive in Arizona?
The Greater Roadrunner is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 9.4% of checklists at its peak (late August) and on 6.1% in its quietest week (late April).
When do Greater Roadrunners leave Arizona?
The Greater Roadrunner does not leave Arizona: it is reported all year, from 6.1% of checklists in late April to 9.4% in late August.
When is the best time to see a Greater Roadrunner in Arizona?
The Greater Roadrunner is reported most often in late August, on about 9.4% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Greater Roadrunners seen most often?
By county, La Paz County, Yuma County, and Mohave County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Greater Roadrunner (counties with at least 200 checklists).