WhenToBird

Larus smithsonianus · Laridae

When Do American Herring Gulls Arrive in Kansas?

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

American Herring Gulls are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by early November, peak in late January (8.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late January. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 8.3% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.8% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.8% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.8% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.5% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.6% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.9% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.7% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.5% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.2% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.8% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.3% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.6% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.2% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.2% of 8186 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 Kansas 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coffey CountyBest late January · 91 checklists that week, 1,497 in all44%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest early March · 14 checklists that week, 577 in all41%
  3. Reno CountyBest early February · 125 checklists that week, 7,266 in all39%
  4. Kingman CountyBest early February · 36 checklists that week, 1,697 in all38%
  5. Russell CountyBest early February · 83 checklists that week, 5,277 in all33%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest early February · 105 checklists that week, 6,538 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheney State ParkReno County, best early February · 35 checklists that week, 1,708 in all73%
  2. Perry LakeJefferson County, best early March · 22 checklists that week, 560 in all72%
  3. John Redmond ReservoirCoffey County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 215 in all70%
  4. Clinton Recreation Area (west)Douglas County, best early February · 65 checklists that week, 1,427 in all69%
  5. Clinton Recreation AreaDouglas County, best early February · 37 checklists that week, 1,569 in all66%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the American Herring Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (2.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 12550 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 34128 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 45960 checklists9 am: 2.4% of 37806 checklists10 am: 2.8% of 32102 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 2.5% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January5.8%6.8%6.8%8.5%
February9.6%6.9%4.7%6.5%
March4.2%3.2%2.6%1.5%
April0.6%0.7%0.4%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0%0.2%
October0.5%0.8%1.2%1.9%
November3.1%3.8%3.4%3.3%
December4.6%4.6%4.2%4.2%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives mid October, in the same week than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do American Herring Gulls arrive in Kansas?
American Herring Gulls are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by early November, peak in late January (8.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do American Herring Gulls leave Kansas?
Most American Herring Gulls have left Kansas by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a American Herring Gull in Kansas?
The American Herring Gull is reported most often in late January, on about 8.3% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are American Herring Gulls seen most often?
By county, Coffey County, Lincoln County, and Reno County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Herring Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).