WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Belted Kingfishers are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in the second week of October (12% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (late May) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byJan 8-14the second week of January
FewestMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by the second week of January. Peak: on about 12% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  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%Jan 1-7: 8.1% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.7% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.3% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.9% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.4% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.8% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.8% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.1% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.6% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.3% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.5% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.8% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.0% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.0% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.5% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.3% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.9% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.6% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.4% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.4% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.2% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.8% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.6% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.1% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.7% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.2% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.2% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.1% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 10% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.1% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.1% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.3% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.4% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Choctaw CountyBest the second week of September · 19 checklists that week, 844 in all40%
  2. Blaine CountyBest the second week of September · 11 checklists that week, 732 in all33%
  3. Grady CountyBest early October · 18 checklists that week, 1,226 in all31%
  4. Greer CountyBest the second week of April · 11 checklists that week, 390 in all31%
  5. Kay CountyBest early December · 20 checklists that week, 897 in all31%
  6. Muskogee CountyBest late November · 12 checklists that week, 569 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Recreation LakeTulsa County, best early November · 91 checklists that week, 3,060 in all55%
  2. Sanborn Lake ParkPayne County, best early January · 26 checklists that week, 992 in all51%
  3. Martin Park Nature CenterOklahoma County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 1,168 in all45%
  4. Lake OverholserOklahoma County, best late October · 29 checklists that week, 413 in all41%
  5. Red SloughMcCurtain County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 492 in all40%
  6. Spring Creek ParkOklahoma County, best late November · 21 checklists that week, 749 in all36%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.4% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 8.1% of 8353 checklists7 am: 8.5% of 24509 checklists8 am: 8.2% of 27848 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 25316 checklists10 am: 5.8% of 21161 checklists11 am: 4.9% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 4.9% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 5.7% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 6.2% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 6.7% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 5.8% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 5.0% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 3.0% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January8.1%7.7%7.3%6.9%
February7.4%4.8%3.8%5.4%
March5.0%5.8%5.1%5.6%
April5.3%4.5%4.8%3.8%
May3.0%3.0%2.7%2.5%
June2.5%2.8%2.9%3.3%
July2.9%3.6%4.4%4.4%
August5.2%5.8%5.6%6.1%
September8.7%8.2%9.2%12%
October12%12%12%12%
November12%9.1%11%10%
December9.1%9.1%9.3%8.4%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early September, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives mid August, 2 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives late August, 1 week earlier than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives early March, 24 weeks earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Oklahoma?
Belted Kingfishers are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in the second week of October (12% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (late May) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Oklahoma?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Oklahoma: 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 Oklahoma?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 12% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Choctaw County, Blaine County, and Grady County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).