WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in Kansas?

Adult American White Pelican
Photo: Craig K, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American White Pelicans are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in early July, they are common by late July, peak in early November (8.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 22-31late July
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: early November. First arrivals early July; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 8.9% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.5% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.3% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.7% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.2% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.0% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.7% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.2% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.3% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.4% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.8% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.8% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.6% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.2% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.8% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.4% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.2% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.2% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.1% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.7% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.9% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.2% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.4% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.5% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.5% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.9% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.5% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.7% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.8% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.5% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.1% 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. Kingman CountyBest the second week of November · 48 checklists that week, 1,697 in all54%
  2. Clay CountyBest mid September · 15 checklists that week, 663 in all52%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of October · 105 checklists that week, 6,538 in all48%
  4. Jewell CountyBest early September · 22 checklists that week, 612 in all47%
  5. Coffey CountyBest late September · 21 checklists that week, 1,497 in all46%
  6. Stafford CountyBest mid September · 102 checklists that week, 6,839 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hillsdale Recreation AreaMiami County, best the second week of September · 24 checklists that week, 505 in all94%
  2. Clinton LakeDouglas County, best late September · 54 checklists that week, 1,461 in all90%
  3. Clinton Recreation Area (west 3)Douglas County, best late August · 23 checklists that week, 268 in all88%
  4. Little Salt MarshStafford County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 922 in all82%
  5. John Redmond ReservoirCoffey County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 215 in all81%
  6. Perry Recreation Area (Lakeside Village)Jefferson County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 151 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 2.4% of 12550 checklists7 am: 3.9% of 34128 checklists8 am: 4.8% of 45960 checklists9 am: 5.6% of 37806 checklists10 am: 6.0% of 32102 checklists11 am: 5.8% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 5.1% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 4.2% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 4.0% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 3.3% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 2.3% 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
January3.1%3.5%3.5%3.3%
February4.4%2.9%2.4%4.1%
March3.7%4.2%5.0%6.7%
April6.2%6.3%5.1%3.4%
May2.3%1.7%1.7%2.2%
June2.0%2.0%2.2%1.8%
July2.3%2.8%2.6%3.8%
August5.2%5.8%4.4%6.1%
September7.2%7.2%8.1%7.7%
October8.9%9.2%8.4%8.5%
November9.5%8.9%7.4%6.5%
December6.7%4.8%3.5%3.1%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late February, 17 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late July, 3 weeks later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives late June, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in Kansas?
American White Pelicans are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in early July, they are common by late July, peak in early November (8.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do American White Pelicans leave Kansas?
Most American White Pelicans have left Kansas by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in Kansas?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in early November, on about 8.9% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Kingman County, Clay County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).