WhenToBird

Troglodytes pacificus · Troglodytidae

When Do Pacific Wrens Arrive in Alaska?

Adult Pacific Wren
Photo: louisiv826, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pacific Wrens are in Alaska all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in early November (12% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakNov 1-7early November
Fall back byDec 1-7early December
FewestFeb 15-21mid February

Best: early November. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by early December. Peak: on about 12% of Alaska checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.6% of 3788 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 2852 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 2810 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.8% of 3629 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.0% of 2519 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 2927 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 3743 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 2846 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 2904 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.1% of 3073 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.4% of 3359 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.0% of 5855 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.1% of 4329 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.0% of 4949 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.9% of 7114 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.8% of 10916 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.3% of 11827 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.5% of 14115 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.2% of 12152 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.5% of 19919 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 15816 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.5% of 17194 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.4% of 15943 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.1% of 16192 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.9% of 9815 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.1% of 8263 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.3% of 7081 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 9434 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.0% of 6380 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.2% of 6258 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.9% of 6114 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.4% of 8189 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.9% of 5848 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.1% of 4853 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.9% of 4415 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.8% of 5086 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.4% of 3576 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.8% of 4212 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 3339 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 4169 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 2844 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 2753 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.6% of 2291 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.4% of 3066 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.5% of 2199 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.0% of 2472 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.6% of 3071 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.5% of 3442 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 Alaska 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 Alaska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ketchikan Gateway BoroughBest early April · 84 checklists that week, 4,641 in all61%
  2. Wrangell City and BoroughBest the second week of May · 111 checklists that week, 2,509 in all59%
  3. Kodiak Island BoroughBest late October · 265 checklists that week, 11,483 in all47%
  4. Aleutians West Census AreaBest the second week of November · 16 checklists that week, 6,087 in all41%
  5. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census AreaBest mid October · 46 checklists that week, 2,822 in all40%
  6. Chugach Census AreaBest early October · 94 checklists that week, 7,540 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fort Abercrombie State Historical ParkKodiak Island Borough, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 709 in all89%
  2. Ward LakeKetchikan Gateway Borough, best late April · 33 checklists that week, 619 in all86%
  3. Middleton IslandChugach Census Area, best late September · 44 checklists that week, 269 in all85%
  4. Radenbough CoveKetchikan Gateway Borough, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 790 in all83%
  5. Savikko Park (Sandy Beach)Juneau City and Borough, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 290 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Alaska, the Pacific Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (549) to judge1 am: too few checklists (365) to judge2 am: too few checklists (291) to judge3 am: too few checklists (624) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1241) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3532) to judge6 am: 12% of 9751 checklists7 am: 10% of 17236 checklists8 am: 9.9% of 24936 checklists9 am: 9.0% of 30139 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 30866 checklists11 am: 7.0% of 28207 checklists12 pm: 6.7% of 25650 checklists1 pm: 5.5% of 24144 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 23323 checklists3 pm: 5.1% of 20763 checklists4 pm: 4.6% of 18245 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 14895 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 11707 checklists7 pm: 2.7% of 9365 checklists8 pm: 2.0% of 6934 checklists9 pm: too few checklists (4176) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2050) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (952) 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
January4.6%3.7%3.0%2.8%
February3.0%3.0%2.4%2.8%
March3.2%4.1%5.4%7.0%
April9.1%9.0%9.9%8.8%
May8.3%7.5%7.2%5.5%
June4.6%4.5%5.4%6.1%
July7.9%8.1%7.3%6.3%
August5.0%4.2%4.9%5.4%
September6.9%7.1%7.9%9.8%
October9.4%7.8%10%12%
November12%12%9.6%8.4%
December6.5%8.0%7.6%5.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Alaska
  • Oregon: arrives late September, 1 week later than Alaska
  • Idaho: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Alaska
  • Montana: arrives late March, 23 weeks earlier than Alaska

Common questions

When do Pacific Wrens arrive in Alaska?
Pacific Wrens are in Alaska all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in early November (12% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.
When do Pacific Wrens leave Alaska?
Pacific Wrens never fully leave Alaska: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early December, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Pacific Wren in Alaska?
The Pacific Wren is reported most often in early November, on about 12% of Alaska checklists.
Where in Alaska are Pacific Wrens seen most often?
By county, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Wrangell City and Borough, and Kodiak Island Borough have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pacific Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).