WhenToBird

Polioptila caerulea · Polioptilidae

When Do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers Arrive in Iowa?

Adult Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Photo: Laura Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach Iowa in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (21% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 21% of Iowa checklists.

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

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.3% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.7% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 22% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.5% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.4% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.5% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.7% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.9% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.5% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.8% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.8% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.7% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.7% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.2% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.8% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.4% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.1% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jones CountyBest early May · 23 checklists that week, 541 in all47%
  2. Lee CountyBest late April · 83 checklists that week, 1,488 in all43%
  3. Des Moines CountyBest late April · 98 checklists that week, 2,251 in all43%
  4. Clinton CountyBest the second week of May · 40 checklists that week, 1,160 in all42%
  5. Muscatine CountyBest the second week of May · 189 checklists that week, 3,078 in all40%
  6. Louisa CountyBest the second week of May · 56 checklists that week, 1,639 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wildcat Den State ParkMuscatine County, best early May · 31 checklists that week, 395 in all89%
  2. Greenwood ParkPolk County, best the second week of May · 101 checklists that week, 730 in all87%
  3. Eagle Point Park (Deer Creek)Clinton County, best early May · 38 checklists that week, 153 in all80%
  4. Reactor WoodsStory County, best mid May · 34 checklists that week, 397 in all80%
  5. Shimek State ForestLee County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 156 in all80%
  6. Lacey-Keosauqua State ParkVan Buren County, best early May · 62 checklists that week, 219 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 16% of 11313 checklists7 am: 7.7% of 25717 checklists8 am: 6.3% of 29755 checklists9 am: 5.2% of 28897 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 26343 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 4.4% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 4.7% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 6.0% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 6.2% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 4.4% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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%
April0.1%1.3%3.7%13%
May22%21%18%14%
June9.5%9.4%8.5%8.7%
July7.9%7.5%6.8%5.8%
August4.7%4.7%6.2%7.8%
September6.4%5.1%2.1%0.8%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives late March, 2 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives late April, 2 weeks later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers arrive in Iowa?
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach Iowa in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (21% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers leave Iowa?
Most Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have left Iowa by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Iowa?
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 21% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Blue-gray Gnatcatchers seen most often?
By county, Jones County, Lee County, and Des Moines County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).