WhenToBird

Molothrus ater · Icteridae

When Do Brown-headed Cowbirds Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult female Brown-headed Cowbird
Photo: Nicole, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brown-headed Cowbirds are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late April (39% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byJul 1-7early July
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by early July. Peak: on about 39% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.9% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.1% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.4% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.5% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.7% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.8% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 26% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 32% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 35% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 38% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 40% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 38% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 32% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 25% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 24% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 27% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 26% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.2% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.2% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.6% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.3% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.8% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.8% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.1% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.4% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.5% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.6% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.4% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.9% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.9% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.9% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grant CountyBest mid June · 21 checklists that week, 1,258 in all81%
  2. Lee CountyBest the second week of May · 14 checklists that week, 450 in all72%
  3. Arkansas CountyBest the second week of July · 15 checklists that week, 1,686 in all71%
  4. Ashley CountyBest early May · 11 checklists that week, 484 in all68%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest mid May · 13 checklists that week, 216 in all65%
  6. Desha CountyBest late May · 17 checklists that week, 756 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crain LakeSebastian County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 1,284 in all80%
  2. Lake Fayetteville ParkWashington County, best early May · 88 checklists that week, 1,197 in all75%
  3. Lake BalboaGarland County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 736 in all74%
  4. Camp Robinson Wildlife Demonstration AreaFaulkner County, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 621 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Brown-headed Cowbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 29% of 10807 checklists7 am: 21% of 27761 checklists8 am: 17% of 30943 checklists9 am: 14% of 26975 checklists10 am: 14% of 21989 checklists11 am: 12% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 12% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 11% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 11% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 11% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 12% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 15% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 17% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January2.2%2.9%2.3%2.9%
February4.1%3.4%5.5%7.7%
March8.8%14%18%26%
April32%35%38%40%
May38%36%32%29%
June25%24%26%27%
July26%20%12%6.3%
August5.8%4.2%4.2%3.6%
September3.3%2.8%1.8%3.1%
October4.4%5.5%4.6%4.4%
November3.9%2.9%3.4%2.4%
December2.5%2.6%2.4%2.9%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid February, 4 weeks earlier than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early January, 10 weeks earlier than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives early March, 2 weeks earlier than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Brown-headed Cowbirds arrive in Arkansas?
Brown-headed Cowbirds are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late April (39% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do Brown-headed Cowbirds leave Arkansas?
Brown-headed Cowbirds never fully leave Arkansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Brown-headed Cowbird in Arkansas?
The Brown-headed Cowbird is reported most often in late April, on about 39% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Brown-headed Cowbirds seen most often?
By county, Grant County, Lee County, and Arkansas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown-headed Cowbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).