WhenToBird

Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Accipitridae

When Do Bald Eagles Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Bald Eagle
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Bald Eagles are in Kansas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in late January (17% of checklists), and fall back by early March. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Fall back byMar 1-7early March
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: late January. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of November and fall back by early March. Peak: on about 17% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 16% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 18% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 11% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.5% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.8% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.6% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.1% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.9% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.0% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.2% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.2% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.1% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.0% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.6% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.4% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.7% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.5% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.8% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.4% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.7% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.9% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.9% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.0% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.4% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.6% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.1% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.8% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.8% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% 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. Geary CountyBest mid January · 19 checklists that week, 1,557 in all57%
  2. Jewell CountyBest late January · 12 checklists that week, 612 in all54%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest late January · 166 checklists that week, 6,538 in all54%
  4. Doniphan CountyBest the second week of February · 17 checklists that week, 547 in all54%
  5. Coffey CountyBest the second week of January · 64 checklists that week, 1,497 in all51%
  6. Osage CountyBest the second week of January · 113 checklists that week, 3,723 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rocky Ford State Fishing AreaPottawatomie County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 720 in all84%
  2. Mill Creek Streamway (Nelson Island)Johnson County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 351 in all83%
  3. Perry LakeJefferson County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 560 in all83%
  4. Perry Recreation AreaJefferson County, best late January · 25 checklists that week, 830 in all80%
  5. Hillsdale State ParkMiami County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 432 in all75%
  6. John Redmond ReservoirCoffey County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 215 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Bald Eagle is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 4.8% of 12550 checklists7 am: 6.9% of 34128 checklists8 am: 8.4% of 45960 checklists9 am: 10% of 37806 checklists10 am: 10% of 32102 checklists11 am: 9.8% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 8.7% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 9.2% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 8.7% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 7.6% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 6.7% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 4.9% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 3.4% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 1.9% 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
January16%17%17%18%
February17%15%11%14%
March10%9.5%8.8%8.6%
April7.1%6.9%8.0%6.2%
May4.2%4.1%4.0%3.6%
June2.5%2.5%2.4%2.1%
July2.3%2.7%2.5%2.3%
August2.8%3.4%2.7%3.1%
September3.9%4.9%5.0%5.4%
October6.6%7.1%7.8%8.8%
November10%11%11%11%
December11%11%13%14%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of August, 12 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives early October, 5 weeks earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do Bald Eagles arrive in Kansas?
Bald Eagles are in Kansas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in late January (17% of checklists), and fall back by early March. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Bald Eagles leave Kansas?
Bald Eagles never fully leave Kansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early March, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Bald Eagle in Kansas?
The Bald Eagle is reported most often in late January, on about 17% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Bald Eagles seen most often?
By county, Geary County, Jewell County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bald Eagle (counties with at least 200 checklists).