WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Michigan?

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

American Kestrels reach Michigan in the second week of November, are common by mid November, peak in the second week of April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 3.7% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 3.3% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.7% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.6% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.6% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.4% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.9% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.8% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.7% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.0% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.7% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.7% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.6% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.8% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.8% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.9% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.2% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.7% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.4% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.6% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.3% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.7% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.7% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.7% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huron CountyBest the second week of April · 78 checklists that week, 4,733 in all30%
  2. Gratiot CountyBest early January · 222 checklists that week, 5,892 in all26%
  3. Mackinac CountyBest mid September · 176 checklists that week, 7,988 in all20%
  4. Presque Isle CountyBest early April · 30 checklists that week, 2,182 in all18%
  5. Clinton CountyBest mid August · 176 checklists that week, 10,597 in all18%
  6. Chippewa CountyBest late April · 1329 checklists that week, 28,128 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Corey MarshClinton County, best mid August · 63 checklists that week, 2,164 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 1.7% of 39298 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 120344 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 180109 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 171966 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 156332 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 2.1% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January3.3%2.7%2.6%2.6%
February2.4%1.8%1.4%1.9%
March1.9%2.0%2.3%2.9%
April3.8%3.7%3.5%3.0%
May2.0%1.4%1.5%1.6%
June1.7%1.7%2.0%1.9%
July2.2%2.2%2.6%2.8%
August2.8%2.8%2.9%2.5%
September2.2%2.7%3.4%2.6%
October2.2%1.8%1.7%1.2%
November1.4%1.7%2.0%2.3%
December2.7%2.7%2.7%2.7%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late May, 22 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives early June, 21 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late June, 18 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Michigan?
American Kestrels reach Michigan in the second week of November, are common by mid November, peak in the second week of April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do American Kestrels leave Michigan?
Most American Kestrels have left Michigan by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in Michigan?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 3.7% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Huron County, Gratiot County, and Mackinac County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).