WhenToBird

Corthylio calendula · Regulidae

When Do Ruby-crowned Kinglets Arrive in Utah?

Adult male Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are in Utah all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late September, peak in mid October (18% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Fall back byDec 22-31late December
FewestAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: mid October. Here all year; numbers build from late September and fall back by late December. Peak: on about 18% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 9.4% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.4% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.8% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.5% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.6% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.6% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.0% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.0% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.7% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.3% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.2% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.5% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.4% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.4% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.7% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.7% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.4% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.3% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.3% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.7% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.3% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.5% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.7% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.2% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.7% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.9% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.0% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.1% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.6% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.7% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 18% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 14% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 15% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest mid November · 686 checklists that week, 43,893 in all38%
  2. Duchesne CountyBest late June · 110 checklists that week, 2,692 in all36%
  3. Beaver CountyBest mid June · 128 checklists that week, 6,956 in all32%
  4. Morgan CountyBest early October · 43 checklists that week, 3,178 in all27%
  5. Davis CountyBest early October · 739 checklists that week, 39,952 in all26%
  6. Summit CountyBest mid June · 413 checklists that week, 13,829 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Royal Oaks ParkWashington County, best the second week of November · 26 checklists that week, 361 in all93%
  2. Tonaquint ParkWashington County, best the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 3,677 in all87%
  3. Westminster ParkSalt Lake County, best late October · 49 checklists that week, 140 in all82%
  4. Lily LakesSummit County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 149 in all79%
  5. Indian CanyonWashington County, best late January · 28 checklists that week, 1,539 in all79%
  6. Yellow Fork CanyonSalt Lake County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 817 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 7.8% of 11714 checklists7 am: 11% of 33209 checklists8 am: 12% of 46944 checklists9 am: 11% of 46290 checklists10 am: 11% of 43144 checklists11 am: 9.9% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 9.1% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 9.0% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 8.1% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 7.9% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 7.2% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 6.1% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 2.6% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January9.4%9.4%9.8%9.5%
February8.6%8.6%8.0%7.2%
March7.0%6.7%7.3%7.2%
April7.5%8.4%11%12%
May9.4%6.7%3.7%4.4%
June6.3%6.3%7.7%8.3%
July7.5%6.7%5.2%3.7%
August2.9%2.8%3.0%3.0%
September4.1%6.6%8.7%14%
October17%18%20%18%
November14%15%15%15%
December13%14%15%13%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of April, 22 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of August, 6 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives early April, 23 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets arrive in Utah?
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are in Utah all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late September, peak in mid October (18% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.
When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets leave Utah?
Ruby-crowned Kinglets never fully leave Utah: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late December, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Utah?
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in mid October, on about 18% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Ruby-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Duchesne County, and Beaver County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).