WhenToBird

Coccyzus erythropthalmus · Cuculidae

When Do Black-billed Cuckoos Arrive in Ohio?

Adult Black-billed Cuckoo
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-billed Cuckoos mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in the second week of May, peak in mid May (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: mid May. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 1.9% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.8% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest late July · 10 checklists that week, 927 in all7.7%
  2. Hancock CountyBest early July · 90 checklists that week, 9,040 in all5.3%
  3. Lucas CountyBest late May · 5176 checklists that week, 152,906 in all5.2%
  4. Harrison CountyBest mid August · 34 checklists that week, 3,150 in all4.9%
  5. Shelby CountyBest late May · 29 checklists that week, 1,659 in all4.9%
  6. Trumbull CountyBest late May · 583 checklists that week, 21,066 in all4.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand River Wildlife AreaTrumbull County, best late May · 39 checklists that week, 1,401 in all21%
  2. Burton WetlandsGeauga County, best mid May · 49 checklists that week, 1,106 in all14%
  3. Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (east)Lucas County, best late May · 151 checklists that week, 3,830 in all13%
  4. Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (southeast)Ottawa County, best late May · 53 checklists that week, 1,295 in all13%
  5. Magee Marsh Wildlife AreaLucas County, best late May · 1051 checklists that week, 22,210 in all13%
  6. Mosquito Creek LakeTrumbull County, best the second week of July · 24 checklists that week, 1,490 in all12%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Black-billed Cuckoo is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.1%
May0.3%1.5%2.8%1.4%
June0.6%0.4%0.3%0.4%
July0.4%0.4%0.5%0.4%
August0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
September0.2%0.3%0.3%0.2%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late April, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Ohio
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Black-billed Cuckoos arrive in Ohio?
Black-billed Cuckoos mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in the second week of May, peak in mid May (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Black-billed Cuckoos leave Ohio?
Most Black-billed Cuckoos have left Ohio by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black-billed Cuckoo in Ohio?
The Black-billed Cuckoo is reported most often in mid May, on about 1.9% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Black-billed Cuckoos seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, Hancock County, and Lucas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-billed Cuckoo (counties with at least 200 checklists).