WhenToBird

Cyanocitta stelleri · Corvidae

When Do Steller's Jays Arrive in Arizona?

Adult Steller's Jay
Photo: Steven Smethurst, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Steller's Jays reach Arizona in late February, are common by early April, peak in late August (9.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: late August. First arrivals late February; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 9.2% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.5% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.1% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.2% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.6% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.9% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.0% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.1% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.9% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.4% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.3% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.0% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.6% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.5% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.2% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.3% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.8% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.4% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.5% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.7% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.9% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.3% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.3% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.7% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.1% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.9% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.0% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.0% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.3% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.0% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.3% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.5% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.0% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.7% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coconino CountyBest the second week of September · 2051 checklists that week, 90,870 in all46%
  2. Greenlee CountyBest early September · 61 checklists that week, 2,745 in all31%
  3. Apache CountyBest the second week of August · 360 checklists that week, 12,931 in all29%
  4. Navajo CountyBest late September · 588 checklists that week, 18,838 in all28%
  5. Gila CountyBest early October · 225 checklists that week, 14,834 in all23%
  6. Graham CountyBest mid September · 92 checklists that week, 9,876 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Elden SpringCoconino County, best mid September · 30 checklists that week, 1,786 in all98%
  2. Upper Rustler SpringCochise County, best mid September · 23 checklists that week, 1,976 in all97%
  3. Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural PreserveCoconino County, best the second week of October · 59 checklists that week, 2,817 in all96%
  4. Barfoot SpringCochise County, best mid September · 28 checklists that week, 1,662 in all95%
  5. Woods Canyon LakeCoconino County, best late June · 29 checklists that week, 287 in all92%
  6. Cave SpringCoconino County, best mid March · 27 checklists that week, 1,635 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Steller's Jay is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 5.1% of 38350 checklists6 am: 5.3% of 118786 checklists7 am: 5.8% of 183415 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 187346 checklists9 am: 5.9% of 151342 checklists10 am: 5.8% of 124522 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 4.4% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 3.1% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 2.4% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January2.2%1.7%2.0%1.9%
February2.1%2.2%2.3%2.5%
March2.6%2.4%2.9%3.5%
April4.1%5.2%5.6%5.9%
May6.0%6.1%6.9%7.4%
June8.3%9.0%8.6%8.5%
July8.2%8.3%7.8%7.4%
August7.5%7.7%8.9%9.3%
September9.3%8.7%9.1%8.9%
October8.0%7.0%6.3%6.0%
November5.3%4.3%3.4%3.5%
December3.0%2.5%2.8%2.7%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks late August
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks early July
  • Utah: arrives early July, 17 weeks later than Arizona
  • California: arrives the second week of April, 6 weeks later than Arizona

Common questions

When do Steller's Jays arrive in Arizona?
Steller's Jays reach Arizona in late February, are common by early April, peak in late August (9.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Steller's Jays leave Arizona?
Most Steller's Jays have left Arizona by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Steller's Jay in Arizona?
The Steller's Jay is reported most often in late August, on about 9.2% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Steller's Jays seen most often?
By county, Coconino County, Greenlee County, and Apache County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Steller's Jay (counties with at least 200 checklists).