WhenToBird

Mimus polyglottos · Mimidae

When Do Northern Mockingbirds Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult Northern Mockingbird
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Mockingbirds are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in late May (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of July. In the quietest week (late November) they are still on about 2.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJul 8-14the second week of July
FewestNov 22-30late November

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by the second week of July. Peak: on about 21% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.9% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.4% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.7% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.4% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.0% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.3% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.7% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.9% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.5% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 18% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 22% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 19% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.8% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.8% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.2% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.2% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.0% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.1% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.3% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.7% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.9% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.8% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.5% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.5% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.1% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.2% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% 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.

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Where in New Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Roosevelt CountyBest the second week of June · 67 checklists that week, 4,563 in all76%
  2. Dona Ana CountyBest late May · 596 checklists that week, 29,776 in all65%
  3. Eddy CountyBest late May · 317 checklists that week, 11,011 in all59%
  4. Chaves CountyBest late May · 169 checklists that week, 5,298 in all56%
  5. De Baca CountyBest late May · 150 checklists that week, 2,203 in all55%
  6. Guadalupe CountyBest the second week of June · 39 checklists that week, 2,614 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Elephant Butte Lake State ParkSierra County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 1,158 in all100%
  2. Atrisco ReservoirBernalillo County, best late May · 45 checklists that week, 518 in all99%
  3. Mesilla Valley Bosque ParkDona Ana County, best mid May · 28 checklists that week, 1,607 in all94%
  4. Manzano Four HillsBernalillo County, best the second week of June · 28 checklists that week, 998 in all90%
  5. Leasburg Dam State ParkDona Ana County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 1,017 in all87%
  6. Roswell Bird and Nature CenterChaves County, best early May · 36 checklists that week, 658 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Northern Mockingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 15% of 29677 checklists7 am: 11% of 71785 checklists8 am: 9.2% of 79208 checklists9 am: 7.0% of 61605 checklists10 am: 5.9% of 49588 checklists11 am: 5.4% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 5.1% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 5.1% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 4.7% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 4.6% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 5.4% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 8.0% 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
January2.7%3.0%3.0%2.9%
February2.4%3.2%3.1%3.7%
March3.4%4.0%3.7%4.3%
April4.7%5.9%8.5%13%
May18%20%22%21%
June19%17%17%15%
July13%12%11%9.8%
August7.8%7.2%6.2%5.0%
September4.1%3.3%3.7%2.7%
October2.7%2.7%2.9%2.8%
November2.5%2.5%2.1%2.2%
December2.5%2.8%2.8%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: year-round, peaks early July
  • Colorado: arrives late April, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives late February, 8 weeks earlier than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks mid June

Common questions

When do Northern Mockingbirds arrive in New Mexico?
Northern Mockingbirds are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in late May (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of July. In the quietest week (late November) they are still on about 2.3% of checklists.
When do Northern Mockingbirds leave New Mexico?
Northern Mockingbirds never fully leave New Mexico: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern Mockingbird in New Mexico?
The Northern Mockingbird is reported most often in late May, on about 21% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Northern Mockingbirds seen most often?
By county, Roosevelt County, Dona Ana County, and Eddy County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Mockingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).