WhenToBird

Vireo huttoni · Vireonidae

When Do Hutton's Vireos Arrive in Washington?

Adult Hutton's Vireo
Photo: Garth Harwood, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hutton's Vireos are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in mid January, they are common by late January, peak in late March (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 15-21mid January
Common byJan 22-31late January
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: late March. First arrivals mid January; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 3.7% of Washington checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.8% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.1% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.1% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.6% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.4% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.0% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.8% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.1% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.4% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.4% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.9% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.0% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.8% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.3% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.2% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.4% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% 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. Kitsap CountyBest mid March · 1520 checklists that week, 74,545 in all10%
  2. Mason CountyBest mid March · 588 checklists that week, 27,853 in all8.3%
  3. Island CountyBest late March · 1004 checklists that week, 46,092 in all7.9%
  4. Wahkiakum CountyBest mid June · 103 checklists that week, 5,618 in all6.8%
  5. Pierce CountyBest late March · 2628 checklists that week, 92,224 in all6.1%
  6. Thurston CountyBest mid March · 1401 checklists that week, 68,352 in all5.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Discovery Park (Lawton)King County, best the second week of March · 32 checklists that week, 1,610 in all53%
  2. Swan Creek County ParkPierce County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 461 in all49%
  3. Discovery ParkKing County, best late March · 262 checklists that week, 9,033 in all40%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Hutton's Vireo is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.2% of 56744 checklists7 am: 3.5% of 133294 checklists8 am: 3.2% of 184196 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.3% of 177063 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.8% 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
January0.7%0.8%1.0%1.3%
February1.5%1.6%1.8%2.4%
March3.1%3.1%4.1%3.6%
April3.4%3.0%3.0%2.9%
May2.9%2.8%2.3%2.2%
June2.2%2.1%2.1%2.4%
July2.4%2.4%2.4%1.9%
August2.0%1.8%2.1%2.3%
September2.4%2.2%2.2%2.4%
October2.0%1.8%1.4%1.5%
November1.3%1.1%1.1%1.0%
December1.0%0.8%1.1%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives mid January, in the same week than Washington
  • California: year-round, peaks late September
  • Arizona: arrives mid March, 8 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Hutton's Vireos arrive in Washington?
Hutton's Vireos are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in mid January, they are common by late January, peak in late March (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Hutton's Vireos leave Washington?
Most Hutton's Vireos have left Washington by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Hutton's Vireo in Washington?
The Hutton's Vireo is reported most often in late March, on about 3.7% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Hutton's Vireos seen most often?
By county, Kitsap County, Mason County, and Island County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hutton's Vireo (counties with at least 200 checklists).