WhenToBird

Haemorhous mexicanus · Fringillidae

When Do House Finches Arrive in Colorado?

Adult male House Finch
Photo: Daughter Dad, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The House Finch is in Colorado all year. It turns up on about 46% of checklists at its peak (late February) and on 36% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekFeb 22-28late February
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: late February. Here all year. Peak: on about 46% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 39% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 39% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 40% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 41% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 43% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 45% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 47% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 44% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 45% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 44% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 44% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 43% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 42% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 39% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 42% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 44% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 46% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 46% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 42% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 38% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 36% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 35% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 36% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 38% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 36% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 37% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 39% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 40% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 39% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 39% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 37% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 38% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 37% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 37% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 40% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 42% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 44% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 43% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 45% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 43% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 42% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 45% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 43% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 43% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 44% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 43% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 42% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Broomfield CountyBest mid July · 166 checklists that week, 16,139 in all74%
  2. Elbert CountyBest early December · 41 checklists that week, 5,660 in all71%
  3. Arapahoe CountyBest the second week of July · 1410 checklists that week, 98,030 in all71%
  4. Denver CountyBest the second week of July · 1074 checklists that week, 77,673 in all69%
  5. Douglas CountyBest late July · 1415 checklists that week, 60,057 in all63%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest early August · 3085 checklists that week, 183,749 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cowdrey Reservoir (historical)Boulder County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 238 in all100%
  2. Horseshoe Natural AreaArapahoe County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 523 in all100%
  3. Chester-Portsmouth ParkJefferson County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 677 in all100%
  4. Sheldon LakeLarimer County, best mid April · 42 checklists that week, 2,868 in all99%
  5. City and County of Broomfield Joint City/County Land - GeneralBroomfield County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 390 in all98%
  6. Colorado State University State University - General (Fort Collins)Larimer County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 231 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the House Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (55% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 54% of 71991 checklists7 am: 56% of 159189 checklists8 am: 51% of 177206 checklists9 am: 44% of 165269 checklists10 am: 37% of 141029 checklists11 am: 32% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 32% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 32% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 32% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 36% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 36% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 39% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 40% 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
January39%39%40%41%
February43%45%47%44%
March45%44%44%43%
April42%39%39%42%
May44%46%46%42%
June38%36%35%36%
July38%36%37%39%
August40%39%39%37%
September38%37%37%40%
October42%44%43%45%
November43%42%45%43%
December43%44%43%42%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: all year, most in winter, peaks mid February
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Nebraska: year-round, peaks mid February

Common questions

When do House Finches arrive in Colorado?
The House Finch is in Colorado all year. It turns up on about 46% of checklists at its peak (late February) and on 36% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do House Finches leave Colorado?
The House Finch does not leave Colorado: it is reported all year, from 36% of checklists in mid June to 46% in late February.
When is the best time to see a House Finch in Colorado?
The House Finch is reported most often in late February, on about 46% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are House Finches seen most often?
By county, Broomfield County, Elbert County, and Arapahoe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).