WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult Barred Owl
Photo: David Bird, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Barred Owls reach Wisconsin in late January, are common by the second week of February, peak in early May (3.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 22-31late January
Common byFeb 8-14the second week of February
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: early May. First arrivals late January; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 3.3% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.1% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.8% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.6% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.8% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.3% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.6% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.2% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.6% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.8% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.4% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.6% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.5% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.7% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.1% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.4% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vernon CountyBest mid April · 338 checklists that week, 13,255 in all20%
  2. Buffalo CountyBest mid April · 62 checklists that week, 3,020 in all19%
  3. Crawford CountyBest late April · 131 checklists that week, 4,271 in all17%
  4. Marquette CountyBest early May · 136 checklists that week, 3,706 in all16%
  5. Washburn CountyBest late September · 203 checklists that week, 7,099 in all13%
  6. Green CountyBest mid March · 60 checklists that week, 4,387 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lakeshore Preserve (Bill's Woods)Dane County, best late April · 67 checklists that week, 892 in all50%
  2. Heckrodt Wetland PreserveWinnebago County, best the second week of May · 81 checklists that week, 2,603 in all49%
  3. Comstock Bog-Meadow State Natural AreaMarquette County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 100 in all47%
  4. Mosquito HillOutagamie County, best the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 395 in all46%
  5. Lakeshore PreserveDane County, best mid April · 89 checklists that week, 3,146 in all35%
  6. Wolf River Bottoms Wildlife Area (south)Outagamie County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 189 in all34%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (3.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 5.8% of 27016 checklists6 am: 3.1% of 83973 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 160717 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 160531 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 136968 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 3.2% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 3.8% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January1.5%1.3%1.1%1.3%
February1.5%1.6%1.5%1.9%
March1.9%2.1%1.8%2.1%
April2.6%2.8%2.8%3.3%
May3.6%3.2%2.7%2.6%
June2.1%1.8%1.7%1.4%
July1.5%1.6%1.5%1.5%
August1.7%1.7%1.7%2.0%
September2.1%2.1%2.4%2.4%
October2.1%1.9%1.5%1.4%
November1.2%1.1%1.5%1.4%
December1.3%1.2%1.4%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of December, 6 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives early April, 9 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of December, 6 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid November, 9 weeks earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in Wisconsin?
Barred Owls reach Wisconsin in late January, are common by the second week of February, peak in early May (3.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Barred Owls leave Wisconsin?
Most Barred Owls have left Wisconsin by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Barred Owl in Wisconsin?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in early May, on about 3.3% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Vernon County, Buffalo County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).