WhenToBird

Falco peregrinus · Falconidae

When Do Peregrine Falcons Arrive in Arizona?

Adult Peregrine Falcon
Photo: Andrea Poggi, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Peregrine Falcons reach Arizona in late May, are common by late June, peak in late September (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 22-31late May
Common byJun 22-30late June
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late September. First arrivals late May; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 2.6% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.6% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.7% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.3% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Maricopa CountyBest early October · 4673 checklists that week, 269,896 in all4.4%
  2. Coconino CountyBest early August · 1650 checklists that week, 90,870 in all4.3%
  3. Pinal CountyBest the second week of October · 717 checklists that week, 40,036 in all4.1%
  4. Graham CountyBest the second week of September · 142 checklists that week, 9,876 in all3.8%
  5. Yuma CountyBest mid July · 120 checklists that week, 14,687 in all3.8%
  6. La Paz CountyBest the second week of November · 185 checklists that week, 7,279 in all3.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Canyon National Park (Yaki Point)Coconino County, best mid September · 28 checklists that week, 311 in all42%
  2. Environmental Operations ParkCochise County, best late December · 32 checklists that week, 1,829 in all39%
  3. Whitewater Draw Wildlife AreaCochise County, best mid September · 57 checklists that week, 5,324 in all35%
  4. Rio Salado AMaricopa County, best the second week of December · 34 checklists that week, 1,486 in all32%
  5. Elden SpringCoconino County, best late March · 46 checklists that week, 1,786 in all30%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Peregrine Falcon is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 2.2% of 38350 checklists6 am: 2.4% of 118786 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 183415 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 187346 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 151342 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 124522 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January1.6%1.6%1.4%1.3%
February1.2%1.3%1.0%1.1%
March1.2%1.7%1.5%1.0%
April0.9%1.1%0.8%0.8%
May0.8%0.7%0.8%0.8%
June0.8%0.9%1.0%1.2%
July1.2%1.6%1.4%1.5%
August1.5%1.5%1.7%2.0%
September2.3%2.4%2.5%2.8%
October2.5%2.2%2.3%2.0%
November1.8%1.7%1.9%1.7%
December1.9%1.8%1.5%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of March, 10 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of June, 2 weeks later than Arizona
  • Utah: arrives late February, 12 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • California: arrives late May, in the same week than Arizona

Common questions

When do Peregrine Falcons arrive in Arizona?
Peregrine Falcons reach Arizona in late May, are common by late June, peak in late September (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Peregrine Falcons leave Arizona?
Most Peregrine Falcons have left Arizona by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Peregrine Falcon in Arizona?
The Peregrine Falcon is reported most often in late September, on about 2.6% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Peregrine Falcons seen most often?
By county, Maricopa County, Coconino County, and Pinal County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Peregrine Falcon (counties with at least 200 checklists).