WhenToBird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus · Icteridae

When Do Yellow-headed Blackbirds Arrive in Arizona?

Adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird
Photo: Ellen Eiriksson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-headed Blackbirds reach Arizona in mid June, are common by late June, peak in the second week of September (8.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 15-21mid June
Common byJun 22-30late June
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid June; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 8.2% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.7% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.8% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.0% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.1% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.1% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.7% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.9% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.4% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.5% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.3% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.1% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.4% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.1% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.5% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.8% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.9% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.3% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.8% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% 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. Graham CountyBest early March · 197 checklists that week, 9,876 in all20%
  2. Greenlee CountyBest late September · 49 checklists that week, 2,745 in all16%
  3. Navajo CountyBest late August · 653 checklists that week, 18,838 in all16%
  4. La Paz CountyBest late May · 131 checklists that week, 7,279 in all15%
  5. Pinal CountyBest early September · 548 checklists that week, 40,036 in all14%
  6. Yuma CountyBest early September · 159 checklists that week, 14,687 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pintail LakeNavajo County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 442 in all98%
  2. Aguirre Lake (Arroyo del Compartidero)Pima County, best the second week of September · 26 checklists that week, 443 in all85%
  3. Whitewater Draw Wildlife AreaCochise County, best late September · 64 checklists that week, 5,324 in all79%
  4. Environmental Operations ParkCochise County, best the second week of November · 25 checklists that week, 1,829 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Yellow-headed Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (5.4% 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: 5.3% of 38350 checklists6 am: 5.5% of 118786 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 183415 checklists8 am: 2.6% of 187346 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 151342 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 124522 checklists11 am: 1.4% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 2.7% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 2.0% 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
January2.1%2.3%2.2%2.2%
February1.9%2.0%1.6%1.7%
March1.6%1.4%1.5%1.7%
April1.8%2.0%2.1%2.1%
May2.1%2.1%1.6%1.4%
June1.3%1.3%1.2%1.9%
July2.4%2.7%2.9%2.4%
August2.4%2.5%4.3%6.7%
September8.1%8.4%8.1%6.5%
October5.8%4.9%4.3%3.6%
November2.8%2.6%2.2%2.1%
December2.0%1.7%1.8%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives early July, 2 weeks later than Arizona
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of March, 13 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Utah: arrives the second week of March, 13 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • California: arrives late March, 11 weeks earlier than Arizona

Common questions

When do Yellow-headed Blackbirds arrive in Arizona?
Yellow-headed Blackbirds reach Arizona in mid June, are common by late June, peak in the second week of September (8.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Yellow-headed Blackbirds leave Arizona?
Most Yellow-headed Blackbirds have left Arizona by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-headed Blackbird in Arizona?
The Yellow-headed Blackbird is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 8.2% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Yellow-headed Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Graham County, Greenlee County, and Navajo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-headed Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).