WhenToBird

Nannopterum brasilianum · Phalacrocoracidae

When Do Neotropic Cormorants Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Neotropic Cormorant
Photo: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Neotropic Cormorants arrive in New Mexico in late December, peak in early April (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 22-31late December
Common byDec 22-31late December
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: early April. First arrivals late December; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 5.0% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.2% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.8% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.0% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.6% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.9% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.5% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.3% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.4% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.0% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.9% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.5% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.5% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.3% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 14523 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bernalillo CountyBest early April · 2867 checklists that week, 135,737 in all13%
  2. Sierra CountyBest mid March · 294 checklists that week, 13,458 in all9.5%
  3. Socorro CountyBest late April · 1290 checklists that week, 33,508 in all9.5%
  4. Luna CountyBest late May · 113 checklists that week, 3,814 in all8.5%
  5. Curry CountyBest late June · 22 checklists that week, 2,926 in all8.3%
  6. Sandoval CountyBest the second week of April · 700 checklists that week, 32,643 in all6.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bosque (Old Town)Bernalillo County, best the second week of April · 80 checklists that week, 2,390 in all94%
  2. Young ParkDona Ana County, best late March · 92 checklists that week, 533 in all78%
  3. BosqueBernalillo County, best mid March · 87 checklists that week, 3,973 in all76%
  4. Bosque (San Jose)Bernalillo County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 410 in all76%
  5. Bosque (South Valley)Bernalillo County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 718 in all64%
  6. AlamedaBernalillo County, best mid April · 54 checklists that week, 2,959 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Neotropic Cormorant is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (186) to judge1 am: too few checklists (180) to judge2 am: too few checklists (172) to judge3 am: too few checklists (183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (527) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4013) to judge6 am: 2.8% of 29677 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 71785 checklists8 am: 2.7% of 79208 checklists9 am: 2.1% of 61605 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 49588 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 15112 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (9040) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2738) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (736) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (384) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January1.4%1.7%1.5%1.9%
February1.9%2.2%2.2%2.8%
March2.8%4.0%3.7%5.3%
April4.6%4.9%4.5%4.3%
May3.4%3.1%2.7%2.4%
June2.2%2.0%2.0%2.0%
July1.9%1.5%1.5%1.6%
August1.3%1.3%1.1%0.9%
September0.9%0.8%0.7%0.5%
October0.3%0.3%0.5%0.5%
November0.6%0.8%0.7%0.9%
December1.4%0.9%0.9%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: year-round, peaks early March
  • Utah: arrives mid February, 7 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of March, 10 weeks later than New Mexico
  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Neotropic Cormorants arrive in New Mexico?
Neotropic Cormorants arrive in New Mexico in late December, peak in early April (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Neotropic Cormorants leave New Mexico?
Most Neotropic Cormorants have left New Mexico by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid August.
When is the best time to see a Neotropic Cormorant in New Mexico?
The Neotropic Cormorant is reported most often in early April, on about 5.0% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Neotropic Cormorants seen most often?
By county, Bernalillo County, Sierra County, and Socorro County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Neotropic Cormorant (counties with at least 200 checklists).