WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Florida?

Adult male American Kestrel
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Kestrels are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in early November (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early November. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 15% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 13% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.5% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.1% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.0% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.6% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.4% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.8% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.2% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.3% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.1% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.9% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.9% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.9% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.9% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.7% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.6% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 14% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Glades CountyBest late October · 36 checklists that week, 6,182 in all51%
  2. Hendry CountyBest the second week of November · 44 checklists that week, 3,103 in all50%
  3. Hardee CountyBest the second week of January · 46 checklists that week, 1,078 in all46%
  4. Monroe CountyBest late October · 1512 checklists that week, 62,908 in all39%
  5. Hamilton CountyBest late November · 33 checklists that week, 1,111 in all35%
  6. Calhoun CountyBest mid January · 10 checklists that week, 570 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Boot Key Harbor (Sister Creek)Monroe County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 283 in all96%
  2. Lake BeulahPolk County, best the second week of December · 20 checklists that week, 303 in all94%
  3. Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands (north)Miami-Dade County, best the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 546 in all91%
  4. Carter PondMarion County, best late October · 56 checklists that week, 1,678 in all91%
  5. Brooker Creek Preserve (Keystone Park)Pinellas County, best mid November · 31 checklists that week, 462 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 8.4% of 94591 checklists7 am: 9.8% of 296183 checklists8 am: 8.7% of 319987 checklists9 am: 7.8% of 254830 checklists10 am: 7.6% of 209480 checklists11 am: 7.2% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 6.8% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 7.0% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 7.5% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 7.7% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 7.3% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 5.8% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 3.4% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January13%12%12%11%
February10%9.5%8.3%9.1%
March9.0%8.6%8.4%6.8%
April4.2%2.3%1.6%1.3%
May1.2%1.3%1.3%1.4%
June2.1%2.1%2.0%2.0%
July2.1%1.9%1.9%2.0%
August1.9%2.0%1.9%2.1%
September1.9%1.9%2.5%3.7%
October6.1%9.6%12%15%
November15%15%14%14%
December14%14%14%12%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of July, 9 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Florida?
American Kestrels are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in early November (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do American Kestrels leave Florida?
Most American Kestrels have left Florida 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 Kestrel in Florida?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in early November, on about 15% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Glades County, Hendry County, and Hardee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).