WhenToBird

Eremophila alpestris · Alaudidae

When Do Horned Larks Arrive in Washington?

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

Horned Larks arrive in Washington in early January, peak in the second week of May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 1-7early January
Common byJan 1-7early January
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals early January; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 1.5% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.6% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.6% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest mid February · 85 checklists that week, 6,135 in all39%
  2. Douglas CountyBest mid February · 408 checklists that week, 9,418 in all35%
  3. Adams CountyBest mid December · 15 checklists that week, 4,574 in all26%
  4. Garfield CountyBest late February · 22 checklists that week, 1,130 in all26%
  5. Benton CountyBest the second week of May · 761 checklists that week, 23,565 in all19%
  6. Asotin CountyBest early February · 77 checklists that week, 4,316 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Atkins LakeDouglas County, best the second week of February · 24 checklists that week, 240 in all86%
  2. Whiskey DickKittitas County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 375 in all68%
  3. Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (Hurricane Hill)Clallam County, best mid June · 23 checklists that week, 441 in all54%
  4. Palouse FallsFranklin County, best early June · 24 checklists that week, 423 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Horned Lark is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 56744 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 133294 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 184196 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 186303 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 177063 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January0.4%0.6%0.9%0.9%
February0.8%0.8%1.1%1.2%
March1.3%1.0%1.0%1.3%
April1.0%1.2%1.3%1.0%
May1.2%1.6%1.6%1.2%
June1.6%1.4%1.2%1.0%
July0.9%0.8%0.8%0.6%
August0.5%0.4%0.5%0.5%
September0.8%1.1%1.2%0.9%
October0.7%0.6%0.6%0.5%
November0.4%0.6%0.6%0.4%
December0.4%0.4%0.3%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives the second week of January, 1 week later than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of December, 3 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives late December, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Horned Larks arrive in Washington?
Horned Larks arrive in Washington in early January, peak in the second week of May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Horned Larks leave Washington?
Most Horned Larks have left Washington by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Horned Lark in Washington?
The Horned Lark is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 1.5% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Horned Larks seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Douglas County, and Adams County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Lark (counties with at least 200 checklists).