WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Western Meadowlark
Photo: Aiva Noringseth, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Western Meadowlarks are in Colorado all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late April (30% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 30% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 3.2% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.6% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.8% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.9% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.1% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.1% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.7% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 24% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 29% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 31% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 28% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 28% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 24% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.4% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.3% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.7% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.9% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.6% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.3% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.8% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.4% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.6% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.8% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.6% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.3% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.8% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.0% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheyenne CountyBest mid June · 15 checklists that week, 1,388 in all92%
  2. Kiowa CountyBest early July · 51 checklists that week, 3,854 in all86%
  3. Crowley CountyBest late June · 33 checklists that week, 1,883 in all84%
  4. Washington CountyBest mid April · 75 checklists that week, 2,511 in all79%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of April · 125 checklists that week, 2,707 in all76%
  6. Kit Carson CountyBest early June · 30 checklists that week, 2,633 in all75%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Soapstone Prairie Natural AreaLarimer County, best late June · 27 checklists that week, 295 in all100%
  2. Meadow Springs RanchLarimer County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 403 in all100%
  3. Rabbit MountainBoulder County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 1,238 in all98%
  4. Gunbarrel RanchBoulder County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 307 in all98%
  5. Coyote Ridge Natural AreaLarimer County, best late April · 37 checklists that week, 347 in all98%
  6. Colorado State Land Board State Land Board (north)Weld County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 705 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 21% of 71991 checklists7 am: 17% of 159189 checklists8 am: 16% of 177206 checklists9 am: 15% of 165269 checklists10 am: 14% of 141029 checklists11 am: 13% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 12% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 11% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 11% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 11% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 12% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 14% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 14% 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
January3.2%3.4%3.0%3.6%
February3.8%3.9%4.1%6.1%
March7.7%11%16%21%
April24%27%29%31%
May30%28%28%28%
June26%24%21%19%
July17%13%11%9.4%
August8.3%7.7%7.1%6.7%
September7.9%8.6%10%12%
October13%11%9.3%6.8%
November5.4%4.6%3.8%3.6%
December3.4%3.3%3.8%3.0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives mid January, 8 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives mid March, in the same week than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives late March, 1 week later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in Colorado?
Western Meadowlarks are in Colorado all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late April (30% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave Colorado?
Western Meadowlarks never fully leave Colorado: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in Colorado?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in late April, on about 30% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Cheyenne County, Kiowa County, and Crowley County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).