WhenToBird

Hemignathus wilsoni · Fringillidae

When Do Akiapolaaus Arrive in Hawaii?

Akiapolaaus reach Hawaii in early May, are common by the second week of May, peak in late September (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late September. First arrivals early May; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 2.1% of Hawaii checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 5223 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 4322 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 4791 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 6113 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 4916 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 4778 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 5119 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 5246 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 4356 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 4127 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 4584 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 5941 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 3596 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 3301 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 3268 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 3732 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 2628 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 3151 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.2% of 2566 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 4054 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 2703 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 2731 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 2826 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 3671 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 2692 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.5% of 2734 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 2412 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.2% of 3581 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.8% of 2426 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.2% of 2669 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 2605 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 3159 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 2502 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 2975 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.7% of 3090 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 3424 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.9% of 2897 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 3420 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 3802 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.8% of 4531 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 3215 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 3704 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.6% of 3216 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 4153 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 3627 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 3710 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 3731 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 6597 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hawaii CountyBest late September · 1438 checklists that week, 75,146 in all4.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hakalau Forest National Wildlife RefugeHawaii County, best late January · 27 checklists that week, 1,793 in all74%
  2. Upper Waiakea Forest ReserveHawaii County, best the second week of June · 26 checklists that week, 1,227 in all27%
  3. Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve (southeast)Hawaii County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 925 in all12%
  4. Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (northwest)Hawaii County, best mid January · 25 checklists that week, 440 in all6.7%

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

Best time of day

In Hawaii, the Akiapolaau is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (3.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (66) to judge1 am: too few checklists (53) to judge2 am: too few checklists (70) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (106) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1548) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 10237 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 17935 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 18565 checklists9 am: 3.6% of 19076 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 18179 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 15530 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 13069 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 12798 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 12698 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 12213 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 10921 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 9437 checklists6 pm: 0% of 4360 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (1028) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (316) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (182) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (110) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (50) 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
January1.1%1.0%1.1%0.8%
February0.8%1.0%1.5%1.6%
March1.3%1.2%1.5%1.2%
April0.7%1.1%0.7%0.9%
May0.8%1.4%1.2%1.6%
June1.4%1.4%1.5%1.9%
July1.7%1.5%0.9%2.2%
August1.8%1.2%0.9%2.0%
September1.5%1.8%2.7%1.5%
October1.9%1.5%2.1%1.8%
November1.8%1.2%1.6%1.7%
December1.7%1.9%0.9%1.3%

Common questions

When do Akiapolaaus arrive in Hawaii?
Akiapolaaus reach Hawaii in early May, are common by the second week of May, peak in late September (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Akiapolaaus leave Hawaii?
Most Akiapolaaus have left Hawaii by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Akiapolaau in Hawaii?
The Akiapolaau is reported most often in late September, on about 2.1% of Hawaii checklists.
Where in Hawaii are Akiapolaaus seen most often?
By county, Hawaii County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Akiapolaau (counties with at least 200 checklists).