WhenToBird

Pluvialis squatarola · Charadriidae

When Do Black-bellied Plovers Arrive in Florida?

Adult Black-bellied Plover
Photo: Евгений Маринкин, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-bellied Plovers are in Florida all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in late August (6.1% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakAug 22-31late August
Fall back bySep 22-30late September
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: late August. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of August and fall back by late September. Peak: on about 6.1% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  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: 4.8% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.0% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.7% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.4% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.5% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.8% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.0% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.7% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.3% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.0% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.3% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.6% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.5% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.4% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.4% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.6% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.4% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.8% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.8% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.9% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.6% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.6% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.3% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.3% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.4% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.0% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.0% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.0% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.2% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.0% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.2% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.4% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.1% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.4% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.1% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Taylor CountyBest late October · 47 checklists that week, 1,937 in all43%
  2. Franklin CountyBest early November · 436 checklists that week, 20,336 in all29%
  3. Gulf CountyBest mid November · 61 checklists that week, 5,038 in all24%
  4. Wakulla CountyBest early May · 476 checklists that week, 27,521 in all24%
  5. Dixie CountyBest mid August · 79 checklists that week, 2,113 in all21%
  6. Monroe CountyBest early September · 659 checklists that week, 62,908 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stump Pass Beach State ParkCharlotte County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 1,177 in all95%
  2. Tom Renick ParkVolusia County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 1,941 in all92%
  3. Sarasota BeachSarasota County, best late November · 31 checklists that week, 874 in all90%
  4. San Carlos Bay - Bunche Beach PreserveLee County, best mid September · 45 checklists that week, 4,331 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Black-bellied Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 5.0% of 94591 checklists7 am: 5.8% of 296183 checklists8 am: 5.1% of 319987 checklists9 am: 4.7% of 254830 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 209480 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 4.2% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 4.0% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 3.2% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 3.2% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January4.8%5.0%4.7%4.4%
February4.5%3.8%3.0%3.7%
March3.5%3.7%3.8%4.2%
April4.3%5.0%5.3%5.6%
May5.5%5.4%4.4%2.6%
June2.4%2.4%2.2%2.2%
July2.2%2.8%2.8%3.0%
August3.9%4.6%5.6%6.3%
September6.3%5.4%5.0%4.0%
October4.1%3.6%4.0%4.8%
November5.2%6.0%6.2%5.8%
December5.4%5.1%4.4%5.1%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives early August, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives mid July, 3 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives early August, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives late July, 2 weeks earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Black-bellied Plovers arrive in Florida?
Black-bellied Plovers are in Florida all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in late August (6.1% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Black-bellied Plovers leave Florida?
Black-bellied Plovers never fully leave Florida: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late September, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Black-bellied Plover in Florida?
The Black-bellied Plover is reported most often in late August, on about 6.1% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Black-bellied Plovers seen most often?
By county, Taylor County, Franklin County, and Gulf County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-bellied Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).