WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Washington?

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

Belted Kingfishers are in Washington all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid July, peak in early September (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of December. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 6.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 15-21mid July
PeakSep 1-7early September
Fall back byDec 8-14the second week of December
FewestMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early September. Here all year; numbers build from mid July and fall back by the second week of December. Peak: on about 21% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 11% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.4% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.1% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.6% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.6% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.7% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.0% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.1% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.0% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.6% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.5% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.7% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.6% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.7% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.2% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.4% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.8% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.9% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.3% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.8% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 18% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 21% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 20% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 19% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wahkiakum CountyBest the second week of August · 88 checklists that week, 5,618 in all61%
  2. Asotin CountyBest the second week of September · 62 checklists that week, 4,316 in all48%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest mid August · 1345 checklists that week, 59,663 in all39%
  4. Skamania CountyBest late November · 177 checklists that week, 10,140 in all38%
  5. Mason CountyBest the second week of November · 545 checklists that week, 27,853 in all38%
  6. Cowlitz CountyBest the second week of October · 291 checklists that week, 15,273 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Portage CanalJefferson County, best late August · 41 checklists that week, 1,022 in all89%
  2. Thomas LakeSnohomish County, best late August · 23 checklists that week, 683 in all87%
  3. Lynch CoveMason County, best early November · 55 checklists that week, 3,192 in all86%
  4. Littleneck BeachClallam County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 304 in all86%
  5. Mystery Bay (Marrowstone Island)Jefferson County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 327 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 15% of 56744 checklists7 am: 15% of 133294 checklists8 am: 15% of 184196 checklists9 am: 14% of 186303 checklists10 am: 13% of 177063 checklists11 am: 13% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 12% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 12% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 12% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 11% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 10% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 9.5% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 9.0% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January11%11%11%11%
February9.4%8.1%7.6%8.6%
March8.7%9.0%9.1%9.0%
April8.6%8.5%7.7%7.6%
May6.7%6.2%6.4%6.8%
June6.9%7.1%7.3%8.8%
July11%13%14%17%
August18%20%20%21%
September21%21%20%20%
October20%20%20%21%
November20%19%18%17%
December15%14%13%13%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives mid July, in the same week than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives mid August, 4 weeks later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives the second week of August, 3 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives late July, 1 week later than Washington

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Washington?
Belted Kingfishers are in Washington all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid July, peak in early September (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of December. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 6.4% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Washington?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of December, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Washington?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in early September, on about 21% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Asotin County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).