WhenToBird

Podiceps auritus · Podicipedidae

When Do Horned Grebes Arrive in Idaho?

Adult Horned Grebe
Photo: Kalvin Chan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Horned Grebes are winter birds in Idaho: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late October (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 4.7% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.8% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.3% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.7% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.7% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.3% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.6% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.8% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.0% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.2% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benewah CountyBest late October · 37 checklists that week, 2,541 in all19%
  2. Kootenai CountyBest late January · 153 checklists that week, 8,249 in all19%
  3. Jerome CountyBest late September · 17 checklists that week, 804 in all16%
  4. Canyon CountyBest early November · 575 checklists that week, 31,704 in all16%
  5. Owyhee CountyBest early November · 130 checklists that week, 7,837 in all15%
  6. Valley CountyBest mid October · 86 checklists that week, 8,991 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (southeast)Owyhee County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 181 in all63%
  2. Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (Bruneau River)Owyhee County, best late January · 33 checklists that week, 217 in all59%
  3. Wolf Lodge BayKootenai County, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 199 in all53%
  4. Mountain Home ReservoirElmore County, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 417 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Horned Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 9122 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 22204 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 38672 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 38930 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 37338 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 1.4% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January1.2%0.9%1.0%1.3%
February0.9%0.6%0.7%1.0%
March0.5%0.9%0.9%0.8%
April1.2%1.8%2.3%2.2%
May1.1%0.5%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
September0.7%0.8%1.3%1.7%
October2.5%3.7%4.3%5.6%
November3.8%4.1%3.0%2.2%
December1.4%1.4%1.3%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Idaho
  • Oregon: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives late August, 2 weeks earlier than Idaho

Common questions

When do Horned Grebes arrive in Idaho?
Horned Grebes are winter birds in Idaho: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late October (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Horned Grebes leave Idaho?
Most Horned Grebes have left Idaho by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Horned Grebe in Idaho?
The Horned Grebe is reported most often in late October, on about 4.7% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Horned Grebes seen most often?
By county, Benewah County, Kootenai County, and Jerome County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).