WhenToBird

Columba livia · Columbidae

When Do Rock Pigeons Arrive in Washington?

Adult Rock Pigeon
Photo: Paul Braun, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Rock Pigeon is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (mid August) and on 7.7% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekAug 15-21mid August
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: mid August. Here all year. Peak: on about 13% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.3% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.4% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 10% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.7% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.6% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.3% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.8% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.6% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.6% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.8% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.4% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.8% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 10% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest early September · 209 checklists that week, 4,574 in all49%
  2. Garfield CountyBest late January · 14 checklists that week, 1,130 in all35%
  3. Columbia CountyBest mid December · 10 checklists that week, 1,894 in all26%
  4. Douglas CountyBest early November · 125 checklists that week, 9,418 in all23%
  5. Snohomish CountyBest the second week of September · 2122 checklists that week, 131,467 in all23%
  6. Franklin CountyBest mid September · 191 checklists that week, 7,970 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson ParkKing County, best early December · 20 checklists that week, 888 in all96%
  2. Marysville Sewage LagoonSnohomish County, best mid November · 28 checklists that week, 1,523 in all93%
  3. Tenth St. Boat LaunchSnohomish County, best the second week of December · 23 checklists that week, 1,448 in all92%
  4. Toke PointPacific County, best late February · 33 checklists that week, 2,186 in all91%
  5. Alki PointKing County, best the second week of August · 22 checklists that week, 1,446 in all88%
  6. Miller CreekKing County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 836 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Rock Pigeon is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 14% of 56744 checklists7 am: 12% of 133294 checklists8 am: 12% of 184196 checklists9 am: 11% of 186303 checklists10 am: 11% of 177063 checklists11 am: 11% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 11% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 11% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 10% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 9.4% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 9.1% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 9.0% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 7.5% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January11%11%11%11%
February10%9.3%9.4%11%
March11%11%11%11%
April11%10%10%10%
May9.7%8.6%8.3%7.8%
June7.6%7.6%7.8%8.4%
July8.8%10%10%11%
August12%13%13%13%
September13%13%12%12%
October12%12%13%12%
November12%12%12%11%
December11%11%11%11%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks late December
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Montana: year-round, peaks early March
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks early December

Common questions

When do Rock Pigeons arrive in Washington?
The Rock Pigeon is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (mid August) and on 7.7% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do Rock Pigeons leave Washington?
The Rock Pigeon does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 7.7% of checklists in the second week of June to 13% in mid August.
When is the best time to see a Rock Pigeon in Washington?
The Rock Pigeon is reported most often in mid August, on about 13% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Rock Pigeons seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Garfield County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rock Pigeon (counties with at least 200 checklists).