WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Swainson's Thrush
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Colorado: they arrive in early May, peak in mid May (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: mid May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 6.3% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.0% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.5% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.8% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.5% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.6% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheyenne CountyBest late May · 92 checklists that week, 1,388 in all43%
  2. Washington CountyBest mid May · 96 checklists that week, 2,511 in all43%
  3. Yuma CountyBest mid May · 133 checklists that week, 3,844 in all31%
  4. Prowers CountyBest mid May · 338 checklists that week, 11,307 in all30%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest mid May · 157 checklists that week, 2,707 in all29%
  6. Bent CountyBest mid May · 255 checklists that week, 5,275 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colorado State Land Board State Land Board (north 2)Weld County, best late May · 64 checklists that week, 522 in all78%
  2. Chico BasinPueblo County, best mid May · 131 checklists that week, 963 in all75%
  3. Crow Valley ParkWeld County, best mid May · 203 checklists that week, 2,041 in all72%
  4. Colorado State Land Board State Land Board (southwest)El Paso County, best late May · 125 checklists that week, 908 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 2.0% of 71991 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 159189 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 177206 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May2.0%6.0%7.5%5.8%
June1.3%0.8%1.1%1.5%
July1.5%1.6%1.4%0.7%
August0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%
September0.6%0.8%0.5%0.4%
October0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early May, in the same week than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives late May, 3 weeks later than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Colorado

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Colorado?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Colorado: they arrive in early May, peak in mid May (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Colorado?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Colorado by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid July.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Colorado?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in mid May, on about 6.3% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Cheyenne County, Washington County, and Yuma County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).