WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Belted Kingfishers reach Wisconsin in mid March, are common by early April, peak in the second week of September (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 15% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.9% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.5% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.6% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.0% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.7% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.9% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.5% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.1% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.5% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.8% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.5% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.2% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.7% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.6% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.3% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.0% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.3% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.7% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kewaunee CountyBest mid August · 156 checklists that week, 9,747 in all50%
  2. Lafayette CountyBest early November · 16 checklists that week, 1,911 in all36%
  3. Trempealeau CountyBest mid September · 116 checklists that week, 6,201 in all31%
  4. Green CountyBest early September · 61 checklists that week, 4,387 in all31%
  5. Buffalo CountyBest late August · 26 checklists that week, 3,020 in all29%
  6. Sawyer CountyBest the second week of September · 119 checklists that week, 7,502 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pigeon River ParkSheboygan County, best mid April · 30 checklists that week, 562 in all94%
  2. C.D. (Buzz) Besadny Fish and Wildlife AreaKewaunee County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 552 in all89%
  3. Middleton Hills South ParkDane County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 579 in all89%
  4. Case Eagle ParkRacine County, best late July · 24 checklists that week, 282 in all84%
  5. South Rice LakeMarathon County, best the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 534 in all80%
  6. Estabrook ParkMilwaukee County, best the second week of August · 35 checklists that week, 3,253 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 8.2% of 27016 checklists6 am: 10% of 83973 checklists7 am: 8.3% of 160717 checklists8 am: 7.8% of 160531 checklists9 am: 6.7% of 136968 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 119110 checklists11 am: 5.8% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 5.4% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 5.7% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 5.9% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 5.9% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 6.2% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 7.7% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 7.8% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January2.0%2.1%1.6%1.6%
February1.7%1.1%1.2%1.3%
March1.3%1.7%1.7%3.9%
April7.5%10%12%12%
May10%7.6%7.0%5.7%
June4.9%4.5%5.1%5.5%
July6.8%8.5%9.2%10%
August12%12%13%13%
September15%15%16%13%
October12%8.7%6.6%5.3%
November4.0%3.3%3.2%2.7%
December2.4%2.3%2.6%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives early August, 18 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of July, 15 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives early July, 14 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives early March, 2 weeks earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Wisconsin?
Belted Kingfishers reach Wisconsin in mid March, are common by early April, peak in the second week of September (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Wisconsin?
Most Belted Kingfishers have left Wisconsin by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Wisconsin?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 15% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Kewaunee County, Lafayette County, and Trempealeau County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).