WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Michigan?

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

Belted Kingfishers are in Michigan all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early July, peak in mid August (17% of checklists), and fall back by early October. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 1-7early July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Fall back byOct 1-7early October
FewestFeb 15-21mid February

Best: mid August. Here all year; numbers build from early July and fall back by early October. Peak: on about 17% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.3% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.7% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.6% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.4% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.1% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.9% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.3% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.9% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.4% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.3% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.9% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.3% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.6% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.5% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 16% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.6% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.7% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.1% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.8% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.7% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.4% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.1% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.1% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of August · 155 checklists that week, 5,892 in all56%
  2. Ogemaw CountyBest late July · 105 checklists that week, 4,675 in all45%
  3. Iosco CountyBest the second week of September · 428 checklists that week, 31,409 in all43%
  4. Manistee CountyBest the second week of September · 280 checklists that week, 16,394 in all41%
  5. Clare CountyBest early August · 60 checklists that week, 2,001 in all40%
  6. Grand Traverse CountyBest the second week of August · 557 checklists that week, 32,907 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Arcadia LakeManistee County, best early August · 85 checklists that week, 2,538 in all94%
  2. Huron National ForestIosco County, best mid August · 36 checklists that week, 2,426 in all94%
  3. Stage Coach ParkBarry County, best the second week of September · 28 checklists that week, 1,301 in all89%
  4. Wolf LakeVan Buren County, best late August · 40 checklists that week, 2,451 in all89%
  5. Sportsman's ParkCharlevoix County, best late July · 38 checklists that week, 827 in all88%
  6. MNRTF Parcel 1Benzie County, best early September · 50 checklists that week, 1,370 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 13% of 39298 checklists7 am: 12% of 120344 checklists8 am: 10% of 180109 checklists9 am: 9.9% of 171966 checklists10 am: 8.8% of 156332 checklists11 am: 7.8% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 7.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 7.8% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 7.4% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 7.3% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 7.7% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 8.2% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 9.4% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 9.4% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January4.2%3.7%3.1%3.3%
February3.7%2.6%2.1%3.4%
March3.1%3.1%3.9%6.3%
April10%12%13%13%
May11%8.9%8.4%7.3%
June6.9%7.3%7.6%8.5%
July11%12%14%15%
August16%17%18%17%
September16%16%15%14%
October12%9.6%7.7%7.1%
November6.5%5.8%5.7%5.4%
December5.1%5.1%4.1%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives early August, 4 weeks later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid March, 14 weeks earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Michigan?
Belted Kingfishers are in Michigan all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early July, peak in mid August (17% of checklists), and fall back by early October. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Michigan?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Michigan: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early October, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Michigan?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in mid August, on about 17% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Ogemaw County, and Iosco County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).