WhenToBird

Rallus limicola · Rallidae

When Do Virginia Rails Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Virginia Rail
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Virginia Rails reach Colorado in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in early May (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early May. First arrivals early March; most are gone by the second week of January. Peak: on about 1.8% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.9% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.8% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% 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. Rio Grande CountyBest mid July · 171 checklists that week, 4,655 in all15%
  2. Bent CountyBest late June · 72 checklists that week, 5,275 in all14%
  3. Broomfield CountyBest late September · 333 checklists that week, 16,139 in all14%
  4. Chaffee CountyBest early January · 177 checklists that week, 14,510 in all10%
  5. Pueblo CountyBest the second week of May · 1098 checklists that week, 26,547 in all10%
  6. Saguache CountyBest early May · 70 checklists that week, 3,220 in all9.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mount Ouray State Wildlife AreaChaffee County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 793 in all83%
  2. Old St. Louis Natural AreaLarimer County, best the second week of January · 44 checklists that week, 934 in all57%
  3. Manitou Park LakeTeller County, best mid May · 62 checklists that week, 1,376 in all44%
  4. Environmental Learning Center (Spring Creek)Larimer County, best the second week of July · 37 checklists that week, 2,650 in all44%
  5. Monte Vista National Wildlife RefugeRio Grande County, best mid July · 64 checklists that week, 1,219 in all44%
  6. Plaster ReservoirBroomfield County, best early October · 71 checklists that week, 2,987 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Virginia Rail 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: 1.8% 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: 0.7% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 1.0% 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
January0.7%0.8%0.6%0.4%
February0.6%0.5%0.4%0.5%
March0.6%0.8%0.9%1.1%
April1.1%1.2%1.4%1.9%
May1.8%1.8%1.7%1.1%
June0.8%0.9%0.8%0.7%
July0.9%0.8%0.8%0.7%
August0.7%0.8%1.1%0.9%
September1.1%1.1%1.0%1.1%
October1.0%1.1%1.0%0.9%
November0.7%0.8%0.7%0.6%
December0.6%0.7%1.1%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives mid July, 18 weeks later than Colorado
  • Arizona: arrives late August, 23 weeks later than Colorado
  • Montana: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Virginia Rails arrive in Colorado?
Virginia Rails reach Colorado in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in early May (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.
When do Virginia Rails leave Colorado?
Most Virginia Rails have left Colorado by the second week of January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late January.
When is the best time to see a Virginia Rail in Colorado?
The Virginia Rail is reported most often in early May, on about 1.8% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Virginia Rails seen most often?
By county, Rio Grande County, Bent County, and Broomfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Virginia Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).