WhenToBird

Eremophila alpestris · Alaudidae

When Do Horned Larks Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Horned Larks are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in the second week of April (9.8% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of July. In the quietest week (early January) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byJul 8-14the second week of July
FewestJan 1-7early January

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by the second week of July. Peak: on about 9.8% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.7% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.1% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.5% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.5% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.6% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.6% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.8% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.5% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.0% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.0% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.3% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.4% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.2% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.7% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.3% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.5% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.3% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.4% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.3% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.1% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.6% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.6% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.8% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.0% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.1% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.0% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.6% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.8% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.5% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.1% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.7% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.9% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.1% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.9% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.7% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Goshen CountyBest late December · 20 checklists that week, 1,920 in all36%
  2. Platte CountyBest early November · 12 checklists that week, 1,645 in all33%
  3. Converse CountyBest mid June · 90 checklists that week, 3,460 in all32%
  4. Sweetwater CountyBest early April · 115 checklists that week, 5,064 in all32%
  5. Niobrara CountyBest mid June · 35 checklists that week, 423 in all27%
  6. Campbell CountyBest early March · 13 checklists that week, 2,801 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Hattie ReservoirAlbany County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 476 in all89%
  2. Hutton Lake National Wildlife RefugeAlbany County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 936 in all89%
  3. State Lands 1111116182Natrona County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 483 in all74%
  4. Black Stone LakePark County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 131 in all53%
  5. Twin Buttes LakeAlbany County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 405 in all51%
  6. Meeboer LakeAlbany County, best late March · 33 checklists that week, 300 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Horned Lark is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (6.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 7.0% of 8808 checklists7 am: 6.1% of 18458 checklists8 am: 6.1% of 22143 checklists9 am: 6.8% of 21499 checklists10 am: 6.5% of 19425 checklists11 am: 6.0% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 5.3% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 4.1% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 4.2% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 4.4% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 4.3% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January1.7%2.5%2.7%2.1%
February2.1%2.7%3.5%5.6%
March8.5%7.5%10%9.6%
April9.6%10%9.8%8.5%
May7.0%6.0%6.3%6.4%
June6.2%7.7%7.3%6.5%
July6.3%6.4%5.3%4.3%
August4.1%4.6%4.6%3.8%
September5.0%4.1%5.0%4.6%
October4.8%6.5%6.1%6.7%
November5.3%6.9%5.1%4.0%
December2.9%2.6%3.7%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives late March, 3 weeks later than Wyoming
  • Utah: year-round, peaks early March
  • Montana: arrives late December, 9 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of December, 11 weeks earlier than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Horned Larks arrive in Wyoming?
Horned Larks are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in the second week of April (9.8% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of July. In the quietest week (early January) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Horned Larks leave Wyoming?
Horned Larks never fully leave Wyoming: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Horned Lark in Wyoming?
The Horned Lark is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 9.8% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Horned Larks seen most often?
By county, Goshen County, Platte County, and Converse County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Lark (counties with at least 200 checklists).