WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Minnesota?

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

American Kestrels arrive in Minnesota in the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 4.4% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.0% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.2% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.6% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.4% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.2% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.6% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.7% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.5% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.9% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.3% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.4% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.9% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.8% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.9% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.1% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.5% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wadena CountyBest the second week of April · 15 checklists that week, 681 in all26%
  2. Norman CountyBest mid April · 16 checklists that week, 1,003 in all24%
  3. Wilkin CountyBest early April · 18 checklists that week, 1,101 in all22%
  4. Steele CountyBest late November · 17 checklists that week, 4,784 in all20%
  5. Red Lake CountyBest the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 1,028 in all20%
  6. Traverse CountyBest mid April · 36 checklists that week, 1,014 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Belwin Conservancy (Lake Edith)Washington County, best early June · 28 checklists that week, 143 in all63%
  2. French LakeHennepin County, best mid July · 22 checklists that week, 724 in all55%
  3. Hawk Ridge (Goose Lake)St. Louis County, best mid September · 31 checklists that week, 314 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 2.3% of 35775 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 90565 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 110612 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 106128 checklists10 am: 2.3% of 96131 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 2.0% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 1.8% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January0.6%0.5%0.4%0.4%
February0.3%0.2%0.3%0.4%
March0.6%1.4%2.2%4.0%
April4.2%4.6%4.4%4.2%
May2.6%1.5%1.4%1.7%
June2.1%2.1%2.0%2.4%
July2.5%2.9%3.3%3.4%
August2.9%2.8%2.8%2.6%
September3.2%3.9%5.1%3.9%
October2.7%1.5%1.1%0.5%
November0.4%0.5%0.5%0.5%
December0.5%0.4%0.6%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives early June, 11 weeks later than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of November, 16 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: arrives late February, 2 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Minnesota

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Minnesota?
American Kestrels arrive in Minnesota in the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do American Kestrels leave Minnesota?
Most American Kestrels have left Minnesota by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in Minnesota?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 4.4% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Wadena County, Norman County, and Wilkin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).