WhenToBird

Spinus psaltria · Fringillidae

When Do Lesser Goldfinches Arrive in Colorado?

Adult male Lesser Goldfinch
Photo: Aitor, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Lesser Goldfinches reach Colorado in the second week of February, are common by mid May, peak in the second week of August (20% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 20% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.0% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.8% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.2% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.5% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.4% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.3% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.7% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.2% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 16% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.8% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.8% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.3% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.9% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.1% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% 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. Douglas CountyBest the second week of August · 982 checklists that week, 60,057 in all49%
  2. El Paso CountyBest the second week of August · 1593 checklists that week, 104,376 in all48%
  3. Montezuma CountyBest mid August · 208 checklists that week, 15,992 in all44%
  4. La Plata CountyBest late August · 749 checklists that week, 21,744 in all42%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest early August · 3085 checklists that week, 183,749 in all40%
  6. Las Animas CountyBest late August · 48 checklists that week, 3,491 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Heil Valley RanchBoulder County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 554 in all96%
  2. NorwoodSan Miguel County, best late July · 33 checklists that week, 1,247 in all96%
  3. Chatfield State Park (south)Douglas County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 651 in all94%
  4. Lair o' the Bear ParkJefferson County, best the second week of August · 50 checklists that week, 1,259 in all90%
  5. Hall RanchBoulder County, best the second week of August · 60 checklists that week, 3,268 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Lesser Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 17% of 71991 checklists7 am: 13% of 159189 checklists8 am: 9.9% of 177206 checklists9 am: 7.8% of 165269 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 141029 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 4.9% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 4.6% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 4.4% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 5.7% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 7.8% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 9.4% 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
January1.7%1.5%1.3%1.6%
February1.5%1.7%2.0%2.0%
March1.9%2.0%1.9%2.0%
April1.8%2.2%2.5%3.4%
May4.3%5.7%7.2%11%
June14%16%15%17%
July18%17%18%19%
August19%20%20%19%
September17%16%13%12%
October9.8%7.8%5.3%3.9%
November2.2%2.1%2.0%1.7%
December1.4%1.5%1.5%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of April, 8 weeks later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of June, 16 weeks later than Colorado
  • Utah: year-round, peaks early September
  • Nebraska: arrives early June, 15 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Lesser Goldfinches arrive in Colorado?
Lesser Goldfinches reach Colorado in the second week of February, are common by mid May, peak in the second week of August (20% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Lesser Goldfinches leave Colorado?
Most Lesser Goldfinches have left Colorado by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Lesser Goldfinch in Colorado?
The Lesser Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 20% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Lesser Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Douglas County, El Paso County, and Montezuma County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lesser Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).