WhenToBird

Stelgidopteryx serripennis · Hirundinidae

When Do Northern Rough-winged Swallows Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Colorado in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 11% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.7% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.6% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.5% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.9% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.3% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.2% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.0% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.9% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.7% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.4% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.7% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.2% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.5% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. La Plata CountyBest the second week of May · 797 checklists that week, 21,744 in all30%
  2. Rio Blanco CountyBest the second week of May · 89 checklists that week, 2,806 in all24%
  3. Mesa CountyBest the second week of May · 1665 checklists that week, 45,553 in all21%
  4. Pueblo CountyBest the second week of May · 1098 checklists that week, 26,547 in all20%
  5. Yuma CountyBest the second week of May · 121 checklists that week, 3,844 in all20%
  6. Costilla CountyBest the second week of May · 81 checklists that week, 1,323 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huck Finn PondLa Plata County, best mid May · 76 checklists that week, 2,708 in all82%
  2. Fountain Creek Regional Park (south)El Paso County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 116 in all74%
  3. Stalker Lake State Wildlife AreaYuma County, best early May · 24 checklists that week, 389 in all66%
  4. Pikeview Reservoir #1El Paso County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 468 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 5.0% of 71991 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 159189 checklists8 am: 3.5% of 177206 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 165269 checklists10 am: 2.5% of 141029 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 2.0% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 3.4% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 3.9% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%0.1%
April0.2%1.2%3.5%6.6%
May9.7%11%11%9.6%
June7.5%5.9%5.3%5.2%
July5.0%4.9%4.7%4.4%
August3.7%3.2%2.5%1.8%
September1.2%0.7%0.3%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives late February, 6 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives the second week of March, 4 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Colorado

Common questions

When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows arrive in Colorado?
Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Colorado in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows leave Colorado?
Most Northern Rough-winged Swallows have left Colorado by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early September.
When is the best time to see a Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Colorado?
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 11% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Northern Rough-winged Swallows seen most often?
By county, La Plata County, Rio Blanco County, and Mesa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Rough-winged Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).