WhenToBird

Pica hudsonia · Corvidae

When Do Black-billed Magpies Arrive in South Dakota?

Adult Black-billed Magpie
Photo: Mayela y Ramón, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-billed Magpies arrive in South Dakota in early May, peak in the second week of June (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals early May; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 4.9% of South Dakota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 1699 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 967 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 893 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 1338 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 898 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.9% of 1013 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 1650 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 1011 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 1304 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 1447 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 1524 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 2850 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 2170 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 2259 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 2578 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 3858 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 3532 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.8% of 4498 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.2% of 4211 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.7% of 5094 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.2% of 3279 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.5% of 3503 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.0% of 2861 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.4% of 3893 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.2% of 2666 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.6% of 2554 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 2412 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 2746 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 1842 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.3% of 1899 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.3% of 1757 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.8% of 2464 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.5% of 1894 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.0% of 1794 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.8% of 1671 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.6% of 2085 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.2% of 1429 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 1441 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 1330 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 1471 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.4% of 1168 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.2% of 1068 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.4% of 985 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 1108 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 890 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 957 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 1246 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.0% of 1514 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oglala Lakota CountyBest late October · 14 checklists that week, 214 in all67%
  2. Jackson CountyBest early November · 10 checklists that week, 3,039 in all53%
  3. Harding CountyBest late December · 10 checklists that week, 1,088 in all44%
  4. Fall River CountyBest early November · 27 checklists that week, 3,040 in all41%
  5. Custer CountyBest late October · 37 checklists that week, 7,902 in all33%
  6. Butte CountyBest mid February · 41 checklists that week, 987 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheyenne River Canyons FeeFall River County, best mid May · 56 checklists that week, 106 in all73%
  2. Badlands National Park (west)Jackson County, best the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 277 in all68%
  3. Badlands National ParkJackson County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 487 in all61%
  4. Alabaugh CanyonFall River County, best mid May · 52 checklists that week, 206 in all41%
  5. Prairie Dog CanyonCuster County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 184 in all19%
  6. Badlands National Park (Millard Ridge)Jackson County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 261 in all17%

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

Best time of day

In South Dakota, the Black-billed Magpie is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (49) to judge1 am: too few checklists (44) to judge2 am: too few checklists (33) to judge3 am: too few checklists (59) to judge4 am: too few checklists (227) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1080) to judge6 am: 4.9% of 3387 checklists7 am: 3.5% of 7718 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 10342 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 10758 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 9123 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 7814 checklists12 pm: 2.9% of 6876 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 6801 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 6673 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 6344 checklists4 pm: 2.4% of 6412 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 5570 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 4276 checklists7 pm: 1.7% of 3183 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1499) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (329) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (82) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (42) 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
January1.4%2.1%2.8%2.5%
February2.3%1.9%2.1%2.5%
March2.5%1.5%0.9%1.2%
April1.1%0.7%0.6%0.8%
May1.2%2.8%4.2%3.7%
June5.2%4.5%5.0%4.4%
July3.2%3.6%2.1%2.0%
August2.4%2.3%2.3%2.8%
September2.5%4.0%4.8%4.6%
October4.2%3.5%3.7%4.8%
November3.4%3.2%2.4%2.6%
December2.0%1.4%1.4%3.0%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late August, 15 weeks later than South Dakota
  • North Dakota: arrives early September, 16 weeks later than South Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives late August, 15 weeks later than South Dakota
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks early November

Common questions

When do Black-billed Magpies arrive in South Dakota?
Black-billed Magpies arrive in South Dakota in early May, peak in the second week of June (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Black-billed Magpies leave South Dakota?
Most Black-billed Magpies have left South Dakota by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Black-billed Magpie in South Dakota?
The Black-billed Magpie is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 4.9% of South Dakota checklists.
Where in South Dakota are Black-billed Magpies seen most often?
By county, Oglala Lakota County, Jackson County, and Harding County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-billed Magpie (counties with at least 200 checklists).