WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Vermont?

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

Belted Kingfishers reach Vermont in the second week of March, are common by early April, peak in the second week of September (17% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 17% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.6% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.5% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 10% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.2% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.9% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.3% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.4% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.2% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.1% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.7% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.3% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.5% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.1% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.4% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.3% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Isle CountyBest mid September · 190 checklists that week, 8,507 in all28%
  2. Franklin CountyBest the second week of September · 383 checklists that week, 25,284 in all26%
  3. Chittenden CountyBest the second week of September · 2003 checklists that week, 109,477 in all23%
  4. Bennington CountyBest late August · 534 checklists that week, 21,621 in all22%
  5. Orleans CountyBest late April · 377 checklists that week, 11,785 in all20%
  6. Windham CountyBest mid April · 1307 checklists that week, 39,105 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. LaPlatte River Marsh Natural AreaChittenden County, best late September · 25 checklists that week, 1,613 in all85%
  2. Arrowhead Mountain LakeFranklin County, best late April · 39 checklists that week, 262 in all85%
  3. Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge (Mudgett Island)Franklin County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 285 in all78%
  4. Colchester PondChittenden County, best the second week of September · 50 checklists that week, 3,341 in all78%
  5. North Springfield ReservoirWindsor County, best late August · 27 checklists that week, 396 in all74%
  6. Barre City ForestOrange County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 585 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 7.8% of 10340 checklists6 am: 11% of 30951 checklists7 am: 8.6% of 64150 checklists8 am: 7.7% of 70252 checklists9 am: 8.3% of 55280 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 47111 checklists11 am: 6.9% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 6.0% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 6.2% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 6.5% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 6.7% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 7.5% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 8.5% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 8.4% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January1.0%1.0%0.6%0.5%
February0.6%0.6%0.4%0.5%
March0.8%1.1%1.6%3.3%
April6.5%11%13%14%
May14%10%8.2%7.2%
June5.9%6.3%6.4%7.2%
July8.1%9.7%11%13%
August15%14%16%17%
September18%18%17%14%
October11%7.3%5.5%4.1%
November3.4%2.7%2.8%2.3%
December2.4%1.4%1.1%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives late July, 18 weeks later than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of August, 20 weeks later than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 20 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Vermont?
Belted Kingfishers reach Vermont in the second week of March, are common by early April, peak in the second week of September (17% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Vermont?
Most Belted Kingfishers have left Vermont by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid December.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Vermont?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 17% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Grand Isle County, Franklin County, and Chittenden County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).