WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Alabama?

Adult female Belted Kingfisher
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Belted Kingfishers are in Alabama all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of September, peak in early November (17% of checklists), and fall back by early February. In the quietest week (late May) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 8-14the second week of September
PeakNov 1-7early November
Fall back byFeb 1-7early February
FewestMay 22-31late May

Best: early November. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of September and fall back by early February. Peak: on about 17% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 13% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.3% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.6% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.2% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.9% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.2% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.3% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.0% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.2% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.9% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.6% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.2% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.9% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.1% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.8% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.2% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.6% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.9% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.0% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.4% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.5% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.4% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.6% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.5% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.0% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Perry CountyBest early November · 12 checklists that week, 1,066 in all65%
  2. Etowah CountyBest early November · 36 checklists that week, 1,492 in all54%
  3. Conecuh CountyBest mid February · 31 checklists that week, 780 in all43%
  4. Jackson CountyBest late December · 73 checklists that week, 2,292 in all42%
  5. Chilton CountyBest mid December · 27 checklists that week, 1,513 in all41%
  6. Hale CountyBest late October · 29 checklists that week, 2,977 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Joseph N Langan ParkMobile County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 590 in all80%
  2. Jackson County Waterfowl Area and RefugeJackson County, best the second week of January · 29 checklists that week, 352 in all68%
  3. Village PointBaldwin County, best the second week of November · 77 checklists that week, 3,600 in all64%
  4. Walter F. George Recreation Area (Cowikee Creek)Barbour County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 357 in all63%
  5. Bayou AloeMobile County, best the second week of November · 26 checklists that week, 2,065 in all61%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 11% of 26677 checklists7 am: 11% of 42599 checklists8 am: 9.8% of 39919 checklists9 am: 9.2% of 34699 checklists10 am: 8.8% of 28551 checklists11 am: 8.5% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 8.9% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 9.2% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 9.4% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 9.3% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 8.8% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 6.6% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 5.5% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January13%11%10%11%
February11%9.3%7.6%10%
March9.2%8.9%8.2%8.3%
April7.0%8.2%5.9%4.6%
May3.4%3.2%3.0%2.9%
June3.2%3.1%3.8%4.2%
July5.6%4.9%6.0%6.4%
August7.5%7.4%7.6%8.5%
September9.0%10%11%13%
October14%15%16%17%
November16%16%16%16%
December15%15%16%13%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives early August, 5 weeks earlier than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives mid June, 11 weeks earlier than Alabama

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Alabama?
Belted Kingfishers are in Alabama all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of September, peak in early November (17% of checklists), and fall back by early February. In the quietest week (late May) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Alabama?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Alabama: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early February, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Alabama?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in early November, on about 17% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Perry County, Etowah County, and Conecuh County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).