WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Arkansas?

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

Belted Kingfishers are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in late October (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 15-21mid August
PeakOct 22-31late October
Fall back byJan 8-14the second week of January
FewestJun 1-7early June

Best: late October. Here all year; numbers build from mid August and fall back by the second week of January. Peak: on about 15% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  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: 10% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.6% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.9% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.4% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.3% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.2% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.0% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.3% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.8% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.7% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.7% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.3% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.1% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.5% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.8% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.5% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.9% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.0% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.6% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.3% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.8% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.4% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.5% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.0% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.7% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.6% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 14% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lee CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 450 in all47%
  2. Cross CountyBest mid March · 37 checklists that week, 473 in all43%
  3. Jackson CountyBest the second week of October · 14 checklists that week, 386 in all40%
  4. Greene CountyBest mid November · 12 checklists that week, 1,025 in all39%
  5. Sebastian CountyBest late October · 126 checklists that week, 4,415 in all36%
  6. Baxter CountyBest the second week of October · 119 checklists that week, 5,558 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sunset LakeSaline County, best late July · 26 checklists that week, 900 in all79%
  2. Upper PondBenton County, best the second week of October · 67 checklists that week, 2,250 in all78%
  3. Lake Sequoyah ParkWashington County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 1,719 in all70%
  4. Crain LakeSebastian County, best late January · 25 checklists that week, 1,284 in all67%
  5. Lake ElmdaleWashington County, best mid October · 25 checklists that week, 639 in all63%
  6. Siloam Springs LakeBenton County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 678 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, 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 (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 12% of 10807 checklists7 am: 10% of 27761 checklists8 am: 7.5% of 30943 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 26975 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 21989 checklists11 am: 7.4% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 7.1% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 7.6% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 8.5% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 7.8% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 6.8% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January10%9.6%8.9%8.4%
February7.3%5.2%5.0%7.2%
March7.3%6.8%6.7%6.7%
April6.3%6.1%5.8%4.5%
May3.8%3.5%3.0%2.7%
June2.2%2.9%3.0%3.6%
July5.3%5.8%5.4%7.5%
August7.0%9.7%8.6%10%
September12%11%11%13%
October14%15%16%15%
November15%14%14%14%
December13%12%13%12%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives late August, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early September, 2 weeks later than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives early September, 2 weeks later than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives mid September, 4 weeks later than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Arkansas?
Belted Kingfishers are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in late October (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Arkansas?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Arkansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of January, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Arkansas?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in late October, on about 15% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Lee County, Cross County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).