WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Connecticut?

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

Belted Kingfishers are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in late September (13% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of December. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakSep 22-30late September
Fall back byDec 8-14the second week of December
FewestJun 1-7early June

Best: late September. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of August and fall back by the second week of December. Peak: on about 13% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 7.9% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.3% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.1% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.7% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.9% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.4% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.2% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.5% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.3% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.5% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.5% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.5% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.3% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.5% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.6% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.1% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.5% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.5% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.4% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.7% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.2% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.8% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.3% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.7% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.2% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.1% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.3% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.9% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 10% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.8% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.6% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.9% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.2% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Windham CountyBest late August · 396 checklists that week, 19,034 in all30%
  2. New London CountyBest mid September · 1000 checklists that week, 65,205 in all17%
  3. New Haven CountyBest late September · 2996 checklists that week, 139,721 in all15%
  4. Litchfield CountyBest mid September · 1052 checklists that week, 69,766 in all15%
  5. Hartford CountyBest mid November · 1751 checklists that week, 105,735 in all14%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest late September · 774 checklists that week, 39,919 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Quinebaug Fish HatcheryWindham County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 1,048 in all84%
  2. Pardee Rose GardenNew Haven County, best late November · 21 checklists that week, 3,011 in all77%
  3. Iris PondNew Haven County, best early February · 23 checklists that week, 1,163 in all75%
  4. Rocky Neck State ParkNew London County, best late September · 36 checklists that week, 1,526 in all73%
  5. Mansfield Hollow LakeWindham County, best the second week of August · 60 checklists that week, 1,313 in all72%
  6. Hockanum River Reservoir (Burnside)Hartford County, best early January · 30 checklists that week, 279 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 8.6% of 33657 checklists7 am: 8.5% of 62964 checklists8 am: 8.1% of 70645 checklists9 am: 7.9% of 64870 checklists10 am: 7.3% of 58827 checklists11 am: 6.7% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 6.4% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 6.8% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 6.9% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 6.6% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 5.8% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January7.9%7.3%6.1%5.7%
February4.9%4.1%3.3%4.3%
March4.4%5.2%5.5%6.3%
April7.5%8.5%8.5%7.3%
May6.5%4.6%4.1%3.5%
June3.5%3.4%3.7%4.2%
July4.8%5.3%5.7%7.2%
August8.1%8.3%8.9%11%
September12%12%13%13%
October13%11%10%11%
November11%10%11%10%
December8.8%8.6%7.9%7.2%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives late July, 2 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives late August, 2 weeks later than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives mid July, 3 weeks earlier than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Connecticut?
Belted Kingfishers are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in late September (13% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of December. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Connecticut?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Connecticut: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of December, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Connecticut?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in late September, on about 13% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Windham County, New London County, and New Haven County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).