WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Utah?

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

Belted Kingfishers reach Utah in the second week of July, are common by late July, peak in late September (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 22-31late July
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late September. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 7.1% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  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%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 5.0% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.9% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.9% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.4% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.4% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.4% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.7% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.6% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.9% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.6% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.9% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.8% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.5% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.9% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.8% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.4% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.5% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.9% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.0% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.0% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.2% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.0% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.9% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.2% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.3% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.6% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.0% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.7% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.5% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.9% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.6% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.1% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.1% of 9982 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 Utah 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Duchesne CountyBest mid November · 31 checklists that week, 2,692 in all19%
  2. Cache CountyBest mid September · 340 checklists that week, 21,769 in all19%
  3. Piute CountyBest late January · 18 checklists that week, 1,035 in all19%
  4. Morgan CountyBest mid September · 24 checklists that week, 3,178 in all18%
  5. Davis CountyBest late September · 992 checklists that week, 39,952 in all16%
  6. Box Elder CountyBest early October · 149 checklists that week, 9,867 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Trapper ParkCache County, best late August · 32 checklists that week, 491 in all67%
  2. Utah State Department of Wildlife Resources 204Cache County, best late January · 25 checklists that week, 187 in all56%
  3. 10th West ParkCache County, best the second week of September · 30 checklists that week, 771 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 4.6% of 11714 checklists7 am: 5.1% of 33209 checklists8 am: 4.8% of 46944 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 46290 checklists10 am: 4.0% of 43144 checklists11 am: 3.9% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 3.7% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 3.4% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 2.3% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January5.0%4.9%4.9%3.9%
February3.4%2.7%3.4%3.1%
March3.2%3.2%3.4%2.7%
April2.7%3.6%3.9%3.6%
May2.9%2.3%2.3%1.9%
June2.0%1.9%1.7%1.9%
July1.8%2.0%2.5%2.9%
August2.8%3.6%4.4%5.5%
September5.9%6.0%7.0%7.2%
October7.0%5.9%6.2%6.3%
November5.6%6.0%6.7%6.5%
December5.9%5.6%6.1%5.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of August, 4 weeks later than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives late July, 2 weeks later than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives mid August, 5 weeks later than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives mid August, 5 weeks later than Utah

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Utah?
Belted Kingfishers reach Utah in the second week of July, are common by late July, peak in late September (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Utah?
Most Belted Kingfishers have left Utah by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Utah?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in late September, on about 7.1% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Duchesne County, Cache County, and Piute County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).