WhenToBird

Falco mexicanus · Falconidae

When Do Prairie Falcons Arrive in Wyoming?

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

The Prairie Falcon is in Wyoming all year. It turns up on about 1.4% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 0.6% in its quietest week (mid May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 22-31late July
Quietest weekMay 15-21mid May

Best: late July. Here all year. Peak: on about 1.4% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.4% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.9% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Niobrara CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 423 in all14%
  2. Goshen CountyBest the second week of January · 22 checklists that week, 1,920 in all11%
  3. Sweetwater CountyBest early April · 115 checklists that week, 5,064 in all7.1%
  4. Big Horn CountyBest the second week of November · 15 checklists that week, 2,023 in all7.0%
  5. Weston CountyBest early October · 33 checklists that week, 2,297 in all6.3%
  6. Albany CountyBest early August · 400 checklists that week, 21,857 in all5.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hutton Lake National Wildlife RefugeAlbany County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 936 in all29%
  2. Lake Hattie ReservoirAlbany County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 476 in all16%
  3. National Elk Refuge (Cache Creek)Teton County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 308 in all11%
  4. Medicine Bow National Forest (Turtle Rock)Albany County, best the second week of July · 21 checklists that week, 218 in all8.1%
  5. La Prele ParkAlbany County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 639 in all7.5%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Prairie Falcon is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 8808 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 18458 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 22143 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 21499 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 19425 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 0.8% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January0.6%0.9%1.3%0.5%
February0.8%0.7%0.6%0.7%
March0.7%1.1%0.9%0.9%
April1.2%1.1%1.1%1.1%
May0.8%0.7%0.5%0.6%
June0.7%0.7%0.7%0.7%
July0.8%0.9%1.4%1.5%
August1.4%1.3%1.4%1.4%
September1.1%1.2%1.5%1.4%
October1.3%1.2%0.9%0.8%
November0.9%0.8%0.6%0.7%
December0.9%0.8%1.1%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: winter visitor, peaks early January
  • Utah: winter visitor, peaks late January
  • Montana: winter visitor, peaks the second week of January
  • Idaho: winter visitor, peaks mid March

Common questions

When do Prairie Falcons arrive in Wyoming?
The Prairie Falcon is in Wyoming all year. It turns up on about 1.4% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 0.6% in its quietest week (mid May).
When do Prairie Falcons leave Wyoming?
The Prairie Falcon does not leave Wyoming: it is reported all year, from 0.6% of checklists in mid May to 1.4% in late July.
When is the best time to see a Prairie Falcon in Wyoming?
The Prairie Falcon is reported most often in late July, on about 1.4% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Prairie Falcons seen most often?
By county, Niobrara County, Goshen County, and Sweetwater County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Prairie Falcon (counties with at least 200 checklists).