WhenToBird

Pluvialis dominica · Charadriidae

When Do American Golden-Plovers Arrive in Oklahoma?

Adult American Golden-Plover
Photo: Rajan Rao, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Golden-Plovers mostly pass through Oklahoma: they arrive in the second week of March, peak in early April (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: early April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 1.6% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest the second week of April · 83 checklists that week, 2,263 in all12%
  2. Sequoyah CountyBest early April · 53 checklists that week, 1,522 in all12%
  3. Osage CountyBest the second week of April · 186 checklists that week, 3,750 in all11%
  4. Tillman CountyBest the second week of April · 70 checklists that week, 1,199 in all11%
  5. Garfield CountyBest mid April · 115 checklists that week, 3,534 in all5.9%
  6. Canadian CountyBest early April · 158 checklists that week, 4,307 in all5.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Drummond Flats Wildlife Management AreaGarfield County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 523 in all13%
  2. Lake Thunderbird State ParkCleveland County, best the second week of April · 40 checklists that week, 824 in all13%
  3. Lake HefnerOklahoma County, best late September · 98 checklists that week, 2,749 in all11%
  4. Lake Yahola (north)Tulsa County, best late March · 31 checklists that week, 612 in all10%
  5. Lake YaholaTulsa County, best late July · 41 checklists that week, 1,291 in all9.5%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the American Golden-Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 8353 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 24509 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 27848 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 25316 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 21161 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0.4%1.9%
April1.4%1.6%1.8%0.7%
May0.3%0.3%0.3%0.1%
June0%0%0.1%0%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%0.6%
October0.6%0.1%0.4%0.2%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do American Golden-Plovers arrive in Oklahoma?
American Golden-Plovers mostly pass through Oklahoma: they arrive in the second week of March, peak in early April (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do American Golden-Plovers leave Oklahoma?
Most American Golden-Plovers have left Oklahoma by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Golden-Plover in Oklahoma?
The American Golden-Plover is reported most often in early April, on about 1.6% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are American Golden-Plovers seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Sequoyah County, and Osage County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Golden-Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).