WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Kansas?

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

American Kestrels are in Kansas all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in late December (8.3% of checklists), and fall back by early February. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakDec 22-31late December
Fall back byFeb 1-7early February
FewestMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late December. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by early February. Peak: on about 8.3% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 8.7% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.3% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.9% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.3% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.0% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.2% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.2% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.9% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.8% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.4% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.6% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.5% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.9% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.2% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.4% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.4% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.8% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.5% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.8% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.5% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.1% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.6% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.8% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.9% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.8% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.8% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.8% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.4% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.9% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.6% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.0% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.1% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.4% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.0% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.9% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.4% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.9% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.6% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.5% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.9% 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.

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Where in Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kearny CountyBest the second week of February · 10 checklists that week, 452 in all43%
  2. Sheridan CountyBest late March · 10 checklists that week, 254 in all40%
  3. Clark CountyBest late December · 14 checklists that week, 697 in all35%
  4. Comanche CountyBest the second week of September · 28 checklists that week, 769 in all33%
  5. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of October · 11 checklists that week, 655 in all33%
  6. Labette CountyBest early November · 10 checklists that week, 1,249 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Point of RocksMorton County, best the second week of September · 23 checklists that week, 380 in all54%
  2. Cimarron National Grassland (east)Morton County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 321 in all44%
  3. Warnock LakeAtchison County, best mid February · 23 checklists that week, 647 in all41%
  4. Clear Creek LakeAtchison County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 615 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (6.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 3.6% of 12550 checklists7 am: 4.1% of 34128 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 45960 checklists9 am: 5.8% of 37806 checklists10 am: 6.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 6.4% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 6.2% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 6.5% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 6.4% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 6.2% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 5.2% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 4.7% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 3.5% 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
January8.7%7.3%6.9%8.3%
February7.0%5.2%4.2%5.9%
March5.0%5.8%6.4%7.6%
April6.5%6.9%6.2%3.4%
May2.5%2.4%2.3%3.0%
June2.9%2.8%2.8%2.5%
July2.8%2.5%3.0%3.1%
August3.6%3.8%4.9%4.8%
September6.0%6.8%7.8%7.4%
October6.9%7.6%6.0%6.1%
November6.4%7.0%6.9%7.4%
December6.9%7.6%8.5%7.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of March, 23 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid August, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives mid October, 6 weeks later than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid July, 6 weeks earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Kansas?
American Kestrels are in Kansas all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in late December (8.3% of checklists), and fall back by early February. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.
When do American Kestrels leave Kansas?
American Kestrels never fully leave Kansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early February, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in Kansas?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in late December, on about 8.3% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Kearny County, Sheridan County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).