WhenToBird

Columba livia · Columbidae

When Do Rock Pigeons Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Rock Pigeons are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in the second week of December (13% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Fall back byApr 22-30late April
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of December. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of October and fall back by late April. Peak: on about 13% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.3% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.3% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.6% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.0% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.8% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.6% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.1% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.3% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.8% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.0% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.9% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.3% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.5% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.6% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.2% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.7% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.7% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.3% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.0% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.3% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.0% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.2% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.9% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.9% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.2% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.2% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% 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. Albany CountyBest the second week of December · 202 checklists that week, 21,857 in all38%
  2. Sweetwater CountyBest early December · 19 checklists that week, 5,064 in all29%
  3. Converse CountyBest mid September · 35 checklists that week, 3,460 in all25%
  4. Hot Springs CountyBest the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 1,345 in all24%
  5. Crook CountyBest the second week of October · 63 checklists that week, 3,915 in all23%
  6. Natrona CountyBest late December · 70 checklists that week, 5,810 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. State Lands 1111128453Albany County, best late March · 51 checklists that week, 1,128 in all83%
  2. Optomist ParkAlbany County, best early March · 36 checklists that week, 2,101 in all77%
  3. Devils Tower National MonumentCrook County, best mid October · 20 checklists that week, 954 in all63%
  4. La Prele ParkAlbany County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 639 in all48%
  5. LaBonte ParkAlbany County, best late August · 23 checklists that week, 1,107 in all45%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Rock Pigeon is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 11% of 8808 checklists7 am: 12% of 18458 checklists8 am: 12% of 22143 checklists9 am: 8.8% of 21499 checklists10 am: 6.5% of 19425 checklists11 am: 5.6% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 5.4% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 5.8% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 5.7% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 5.8% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 5.8% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 5.4% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 3.4% 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
January11%11%11%11%
February12%11%12%13%
March11%12%11%9.3%
April10%9.2%9.3%9.6%
May8.0%7.8%6.6%5.1%
June4.3%3.8%4.0%3.9%
July4.3%4.5%4.6%5.2%
August5.7%5.7%6.8%7.3%
September7.0%7.3%7.0%7.2%
October7.9%8.9%9.2%9.2%
November10%10%12%12%
December13%12%14%11%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Montana: year-round, peaks early March
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks the second week of March

Common questions

When do Rock Pigeons arrive in Wyoming?
Rock Pigeons are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in the second week of December (13% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.9% of checklists.
When do Rock Pigeons leave Wyoming?
Rock Pigeons never fully leave Wyoming: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late April, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Rock Pigeon in Wyoming?
The Rock Pigeon is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 13% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Rock Pigeons seen most often?
By county, Albany County, Sweetwater County, and Converse County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rock Pigeon (counties with at least 200 checklists).