WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Colorado?

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

Belted Kingfishers are in Colorado all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in the second week of November (13% of checklists), and fall back by early February. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 15-21mid August
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Fall back byFeb 1-7early February
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of November. Here all year; numbers build from mid August and fall back by early February. Peak: on about 13% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  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%Jan 1-7: 10% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.9% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.8% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.8% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.8% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.7% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.9% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.3% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.4% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.2% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.3% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.6% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.0% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.5% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.8% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.2% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.2% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.8% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.4% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.8% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.2% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.5% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.0% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.8% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.3% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.8% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.5% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 10% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pueblo CountyBest early October · 375 checklists that week, 26,547 in all31%
  2. Washington CountyBest mid September · 97 checklists that week, 2,511 in all25%
  3. Chaffee CountyBest the second week of October · 168 checklists that week, 14,510 in all25%
  4. Mesa CountyBest the second week of October · 690 checklists that week, 45,553 in all24%
  5. Delta CountyBest late October · 83 checklists that week, 6,509 in all24%
  6. Eagle CountyBest mid October · 222 checklists that week, 15,893 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fountain Creek Regional Park (northwest)El Paso County, best late November · 23 checklists that week, 551 in all98%
  2. Fountain Creek Regional ParkEl Paso County, best the second week of September · 39 checklists that week, 2,751 in all88%
  3. Golden PondsBoulder County, best early September · 44 checklists that week, 2,364 in all85%
  4. Mary Carter GreenwayArapahoe County, best mid December · 23 checklists that week, 906 in all84%
  5. North Shields Pond Natural AreaLarimer County, best late September · 49 checklists that week, 2,028 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 9.3% of 71991 checklists7 am: 10% of 159189 checklists8 am: 11% of 177206 checklists9 am: 11% of 165269 checklists10 am: 8.7% of 141029 checklists11 am: 7.7% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 7.2% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 7.7% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 8.1% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 7.3% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 7.1% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 6.3% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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%9.9%10%9.8%
February9.0%7.8%6.8%8.0%
March7.7%7.9%8.3%8.4%
April8.2%8.3%9.6%9.0%
May7.5%6.8%6.2%5.2%
June4.6%3.8%3.4%3.8%
July4.2%4.5%5.0%5.8%
August7.3%7.8%9.5%11%
September12%13%12%13%
October12%13%13%13%
November13%13%13%13%
December13%12%11%10%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives the second week of July, 5 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives early March, 22 weeks earlier than Colorado

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Colorado?
Belted Kingfishers are in Colorado all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in the second week of November (13% of checklists), and fall back by early February. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 3.7% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Colorado?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Colorado: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early February, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Colorado?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 13% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Pueblo County, Washington County, and Chaffee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).