WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in Utah?

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

Western Meadowlarks are in Utah all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid April (18% of checklists), and fall back by mid June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.3% of checklists.

When to look

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

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by mid June. Peak: on about 18% of Utah checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.3% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.2% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.9% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.9% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.9% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 16% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 18% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 18% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 10% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.5% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.1% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.1% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.4% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.7% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.1% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.2% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.4% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.3% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.3% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.3% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.4% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.7% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.9% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.7% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.0% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.4% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.8% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.1% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.2% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.1% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.8% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.1% 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. Juab CountyBest early April · 80 checklists that week, 2,572 in all63%
  2. Morgan CountyBest early April · 96 checklists that week, 3,178 in all53%
  3. Millard CountyBest mid May · 57 checklists that week, 2,206 in all49%
  4. Duchesne CountyBest the second week of May · 47 checklists that week, 2,692 in all48%
  5. Tooele CountyBest the second week of April · 102 checklists that week, 4,788 in all44%
  6. Box Elder CountyBest the second week of April · 302 checklists that week, 9,867 in all44%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. LadyfingerDavis County, best the second week of April · 34 checklists that week, 929 in all93%
  2. Hogback SummitMorgan County, best mid May · 30 checklists that week, 465 in all92%
  3. Antelope Island State ParkDavis County, best late March · 51 checklists that week, 2,493 in all91%
  4. Legacy Nature PreserveDavis County, best late April · 49 checklists that week, 336 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 17% of 11714 checklists7 am: 13% of 33209 checklists8 am: 11% of 46944 checklists9 am: 11% of 46290 checklists10 am: 9.9% of 43144 checklists11 am: 9.1% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 8.3% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 7.9% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 7.4% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 7.1% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 9.0% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 9.8% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 9.1% 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
January3.8%3.0%3.0%4.3%
February4.2%3.9%3.9%5.6%
March7.9%11%13%16%
April18%17%18%18%
May17%16%18%16%
June14%13%11%10%
July8.5%7.1%6.1%6.4%
August4.7%5.1%5.2%5.4%
September7.3%7.3%7.3%7.4%
October7.7%6.9%6.7%6.0%
November5.4%5.8%5.1%5.2%
December4.3%4.1%3.8%4.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives mid March, in the same week than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives mid March, in the same week than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of February, 5 weeks earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in Utah?
Western Meadowlarks are in Utah all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid April (18% of checklists), and fall back by mid June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.3% of checklists.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave Utah?
Western Meadowlarks never fully leave Utah: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in Utah?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in mid April, on about 18% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Juab County, Morgan County, and Millard County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).