WhenToBird

Falco mexicanus · Falconidae

When Do Prairie Falcons Arrive in Montana?

Adult Prairie Falcon
Photo: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Prairie Falcons are winter birds in Montana: they arrive in the second week of June, peak in the second week of January (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 8-14the second week of June
Common byJun 8-14the second week of June
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals the second week of June; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 1.6% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.6% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wheatland CountyBest late July · 28 checklists that week, 1,384 in all14%
  2. Big Horn CountyBest mid January · 13 checklists that week, 1,279 in all12%
  3. Sweet Grass CountyBest early November · 11 checklists that week, 1,532 in all11%
  4. Toole CountyBest the second week of March · 32 checklists that week, 1,763 in all10%
  5. Glacier CountyBest mid March · 70 checklists that week, 9,238 in all10%
  6. Hill CountyBest late September · 16 checklists that week, 988 in all9.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Missouri Headwaters State ParkGallatin County, best late March · 35 checklists that week, 682 in all32%
  2. Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park (Cave Mountain)Jefferson County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 258 in all28%
  3. Old Maids CouleeGlacier County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 115 in all20%
  4. Picnic LakesFlathead County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 135 in all19%
  5. Missouri Headwaters State Park (Gallatin (historical))Gallatin County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 646 in all15%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Prairie Falcon is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 12719 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 31202 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 47646 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 44624 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 40704 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January1.7%1.5%1.6%1.6%
February1.0%1.4%1.3%1.1%
March0.7%0.9%0.9%0.7%
April0.7%0.6%0.6%0.5%
May0.6%0.5%0.6%0.4%
June0.4%0.4%0.6%0.5%
July0.7%0.9%0.8%0.9%
August0.9%0.9%0.7%1.0%
September0.9%0.8%0.9%0.8%
October0.6%0.7%0.7%0.6%
November1.0%1.2%1.1%1.0%
December1.4%1.4%1.4%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: arrives early September, 11 weeks later than Montana
  • Wyoming: year-round, peaks late July
  • Utah: arrives late August, 10 weeks later than Montana
  • Colorado: arrives early June, 1 week earlier than Montana

Common questions

When do Prairie Falcons arrive in Montana?
Prairie Falcons are winter birds in Montana: they arrive in the second week of June, peak in the second week of January (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Prairie Falcons leave Montana?
Most Prairie Falcons have left Montana by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Prairie Falcon in Montana?
The Prairie Falcon is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 1.6% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Prairie Falcons seen most often?
By county, Wheatland County, Big Horn County, and Sweet Grass County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Prairie Falcon (counties with at least 200 checklists).