WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in New York?

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

American Kestrels reach New York in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid September (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid December.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byDec 15-21mid December

Best: mid September. First arrivals early March; most are gone by mid December. Peak: on about 5.8% of New York checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.1% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.3% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.6% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.3% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.2% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.7% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.3% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.9% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.0% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.0% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.2% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.6% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.1% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.4% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.3% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.8% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.3% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.7% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.7% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.0% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.9% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.6% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kings CountyBest mid October · 3112 checklists that week, 134,897 in all21%
  2. Chenango CountyBest the second week of September · 188 checklists that week, 10,785 in all17%
  3. Washington CountyBest the second week of April · 316 checklists that week, 15,060 in all17%
  4. Bronx CountyBest the second week of September · 484 checklists that week, 24,489 in all15%
  5. Westchester CountyBest late September · 2276 checklists that week, 108,101 in all15%
  6. Cattaraugus CountyBest early April · 274 checklists that week, 12,342 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Croton Point County ParkWestchester County, best mid September · 171 checklists that week, 9,735 in all74%
  2. Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife RefugeUlster County, best mid April · 63 checklists that week, 5,492 in all74%
  3. Nyc Open Space 284New York County, best the second week of November · 51 checklists that week, 3,525 in all73%
  4. Freshkills ParkRichmond County, best the second week of November · 38 checklists that week, 303 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (3.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 3.2% of 124869 checklists7 am: 3.0% of 298506 checklists8 am: 3.0% of 337334 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 307787 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 270801 checklists11 am: 3.2% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 3.1% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 3.2% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 3.1% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 3.2% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January1.9%1.9%1.7%1.7%
February1.5%1.4%1.1%1.4%
March1.6%2.0%3.1%4.4%
April5.3%5.6%5.3%4.2%
May2.8%2.0%1.7%1.7%
June2.0%2.1%2.3%2.4%
July2.4%2.9%3.1%3.0%
August3.0%3.2%3.3%3.6%
September4.1%5.4%6.3%5.8%
October5.3%5.3%4.7%3.7%
November3.2%3.0%2.9%2.6%
December2.6%2.3%2.3%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives late May, 11 weeks later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives early June, 12 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late May, 11 weeks later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than New York

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in New York?
American Kestrels reach New York in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid September (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid December.
When do American Kestrels leave New York?
Most American Kestrels have left New York by mid December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in New York?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in mid September, on about 5.8% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Kings County, Chenango County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).