WhenToBird

Larus smithsonianus · Laridae

When Do American Herring Gulls Arrive in Iowa?

Adult American Herring Gull
Photo: Priya Sandhu, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Herring Gulls are winter birds in Iowa: the first arrive in early October, they are common by late October, peak in early December (8.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early December. First arrivals early October; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 8.2% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.5% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.1% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.2% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.4% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.2% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.9% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.2% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.8% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.7% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.6% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.6% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.0% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.4% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.6% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.5% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.6% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.1% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.6% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marion CountyBest early December · 69 checklists that week, 3,389 in all57%
  2. Jackson CountyBest early March · 46 checklists that week, 1,765 in all50%
  3. Wapello CountyBest late December · 13 checklists that week, 654 in all38%
  4. Scott CountyBest mid January · 192 checklists that week, 11,116 in all35%
  5. Polk CountyBest early December · 626 checklists that week, 37,521 in all26%
  6. Lee CountyBest late December · 28 checklists that week, 1,488 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mississippi RiverScott County, best the second week of January · 43 checklists that week, 606 in all90%
  2. Riverfront ParkwayScott County, best late January · 31 checklists that week, 270 in all80%
  3. Saylorville Recreation Area (Camp Dodge)Polk County, best the second week of December · 47 checklists that week, 690 in all75%
  4. Saylorville Recreation Area (Rock Creek)Polk County, best early December · 82 checklists that week, 1,401 in all68%
  5. Saylorville Recreation Area (northwest)Polk County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 1,546 in all64%
  6. Cedar Lake ParkLinn County, best mid February · 26 checklists that week, 1,387 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the American Herring Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (3.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 11313 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 25717 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 29755 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 28897 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 26343 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 3.5% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 2.9% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January5.5%4.9%3.0%4.1%
February4.2%4.4%4.2%6.9%
March7.2%5.8%5.7%3.6%
April2.1%1.0%1.3%0.5%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0.1%0%0.1%
July0%0.1%0%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
September0.5%0.7%0.6%1.0%
October1.0%1.4%2.6%3.1%
November4.6%5.0%6.4%7.6%
December8.5%8.6%4.1%5.6%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives late October, 3 weeks later than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives mid May, 18 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives early November, 4 weeks later than Iowa

Common questions

When do American Herring Gulls arrive in Iowa?
American Herring Gulls are winter birds in Iowa: the first arrive in early October, they are common by late October, peak in early December (8.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do American Herring Gulls leave Iowa?
Most American Herring Gulls have left Iowa by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a American Herring Gull in Iowa?
The American Herring Gull is reported most often in early December, on about 8.2% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are American Herring Gulls seen most often?
By county, Marion County, Jackson County, and Wapello County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Herring Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).