WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Belted Kingfishers reach Nebraska in early March, are common by mid March, peak in mid September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: mid September. First arrivals early March; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 12% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.3% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.9% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.5% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.4% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.2% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.9% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.9% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.8% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.0% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.5% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.7% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.3% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.9% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.9% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.2% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.4% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.7% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.7% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.9% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.0% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.7% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.5% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.7% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.4% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.0% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.5% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.2% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.2% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.1% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Garfield CountyBest late September · 15 checklists that week, 366 in all38%
  2. Pierce CountyBest late August · 12 checklists that week, 516 in all37%
  3. Valley CountyBest late September · 10 checklists that week, 261 in all36%
  4. Madison CountyBest mid September · 20 checklists that week, 1,920 in all35%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 804 in all35%
  6. Loup CountyBest late September · 17 checklists that week, 683 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wehrspann Recreation AreaSarpy County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 716 in all66%
  2. Salt LakeLancaster County, best the second week of August · 38 checklists that week, 2,553 in all59%
  3. Prairie Queen Recreation AreaSarpy County, best late July · 37 checklists that week, 467 in all59%
  4. Lake Forest ParkDouglas County, best late August · 35 checklists that week, 1,397 in all57%
  5. Oliver Reservoir State Recreation AreaKimball County, best late September · 39 checklists that week, 597 in all56%
  6. Levi Carter ParkDouglas County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 371 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.3% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 9.8% of 6945 checklists7 am: 9.1% of 19066 checklists8 am: 8.1% of 24661 checklists9 am: 7.0% of 23438 checklists10 am: 6.0% of 20424 checklists11 am: 5.4% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 5.3% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 5.6% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 5.5% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 5.7% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 5.9% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 7.9% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 6.5% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January4.3%2.6%2.3%2.3%
February2.0%1.9%1.7%2.3%
March2.6%3.5%4.4%7.2%
April10%8.9%10%7.9%
May6.8%5.0%4.5%4.7%
June4.3%4.9%4.9%7.2%
July8.4%7.7%7.7%8.9%
August9.0%11%9.7%10%
September10%12%12%12%
October11%9.5%8.7%8.4%
November7.0%7.5%7.2%6.2%
December5.0%4.1%5.0%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early September, 24 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of July, 17 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives late August, 23 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Nebraska?
Belted Kingfishers reach Nebraska in early March, are common by mid March, peak in mid September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Nebraska?
Most Belted Kingfishers have left Nebraska by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Nebraska?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in mid September, on about 12% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Garfield County, Pierce County, and Valley County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).