WhenToBird

Eremophila alpestris · Alaudidae

When Do Horned Larks Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Horned Lark
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Horned Larks are in Colorado all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of April (6.4% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of December) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 6.4% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.6% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.6% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.5% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.4% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.6% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.5% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.9% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.0% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.4% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.6% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.0% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.7% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.5% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.7% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.8% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.1% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.8% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.9% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.4% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.0% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.2% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.7% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.3% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.1% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.9% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.9% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.8% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.7% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.1% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.8% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.2% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.9% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.7% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.8% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.7% 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. Phillips CountyBest early January · 27 checklists that week, 1,052 in all81%
  2. Cheyenne CountyBest mid June · 15 checklists that week, 1,388 in all75%
  3. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of April · 125 checklists that week, 2,707 in all63%
  4. Kit Carson CountyBest mid January · 36 checklists that week, 2,633 in all62%
  5. Kiowa CountyBest early July · 51 checklists that week, 3,854 in all61%
  6. Yuma CountyBest late January · 21 checklists that week, 3,844 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pawnee National GrasslandWeld County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 381 in all100%
  2. Colorado State Land Board State Land Board (north)Weld County, best mid April · 29 checklists that week, 705 in all98%
  3. Pawnee National Grassland (north)Weld County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 257 in all96%
  4. Meadow Springs RanchLarimer County, best the second week of June · 37 checklists that week, 403 in all96%
  5. Pawnee National Grassland (northwest)Weld County, best late July · 36 checklists that week, 183 in all94%
  6. Chatfield State Park (east)Douglas County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 500 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Horned Lark is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (4.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.6% of 71991 checklists7 am: 3.6% of 159189 checklists8 am: 3.9% of 177206 checklists9 am: 4.5% of 165269 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 141029 checklists11 am: 4.8% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 4.5% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 4.0% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 3.7% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 3.1% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 2.9% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 2.5% 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
January2.6%2.6%2.9%2.6%
February2.7%3.0%2.7%3.5%
March3.4%3.7%4.6%4.5%
April5.9%7.0%6.4%5.6%
May5.0%4.7%4.5%4.7%
June4.8%5.1%4.8%4.9%
July4.4%4.0%4.2%3.7%
August3.3%3.1%2.9%2.6%
September2.9%2.8%3.8%3.7%
October4.1%3.8%4.2%4.1%
November3.9%3.7%2.8%2.8%
December2.4%2.4%2.7%2.7%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early March, 3 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks mid November
  • Utah: year-round, peaks early March
  • Nebraska: arrives early June, 9 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Horned Larks arrive in Colorado?
Horned Larks are in Colorado all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of April (6.4% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of December) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do Horned Larks leave Colorado?
Horned Larks never fully leave Colorado: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Horned Lark in Colorado?
The Horned Lark is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 6.4% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Horned Larks seen most often?
By county, Phillips County, Cheyenne County, and Lincoln County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Lark (counties with at least 200 checklists).