WhenToBird

Toxostoma rufum · Mimidae

When Do Brown Thrashers Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Brown Thrasher
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brown Thrashers reach Kansas in mid March, are common by early April, peak in early May (27% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: early May. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 27% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.1% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.6% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 26% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 28% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 26% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.8% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.3% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.3% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.5% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.3% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.6% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Smith CountyBest late June · 14 checklists that week, 484 in all52%
  2. Norton CountyBest the second week of June · 11 checklists that week, 426 in all49%
  3. Republic CountyBest the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 537 in all48%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of May · 14 checklists that week, 577 in all47%
  5. Russell CountyBest early May · 119 checklists that week, 5,277 in all45%
  6. Comanche CountyBest mid June · 15 checklists that week, 769 in all45%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Felker ParkShawnee County, best late April · 49 checklists that week, 988 in all91%
  2. Oak ParkSedgwick County, best late September · 38 checklists that week, 1,240 in all82%
  3. Ford State Fishing Lake and Wildlife AreaFord County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 325 in all77%
  4. Dyck Arboretum of the PlainsHarvey County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 983 in all76%
  5. Dr. Howard Reynolds Nature TrailsEllis County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 240 in all71%
  6. Shannon ValleyJohnson County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 112 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Brown Thrasher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (20% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 27% of 12550 checklists7 am: 18% of 34128 checklists8 am: 14% of 45960 checklists9 am: 10% of 37806 checklists10 am: 8.5% of 32102 checklists11 am: 7.6% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 7.2% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 6.7% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 5.7% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 5.8% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 6.3% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 8.3% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 11% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 12% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January0.3%0.4%0.4%0.3%
February0.3%0.2%0.4%0.1%
March0.3%0.4%0.3%3.1%
April9.6%14%20%26%
May28%26%25%24%
June22%21%21%19%
July19%15%13%9.8%
August7.3%8.3%6.5%9.3%
September11%13%16%13%
October6.6%2.7%1.4%0.6%
November0.6%0.1%0.2%0.2%
December0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of April, 3 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid March, in the same week than Kansas

Common questions

When do Brown Thrashers arrive in Kansas?
Brown Thrashers reach Kansas in mid March, are common by early April, peak in early May (27% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Brown Thrashers leave Kansas?
Most Brown Thrashers have left Kansas by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Brown Thrasher in Kansas?
The Brown Thrasher is reported most often in early May, on about 27% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Brown Thrashers seen most often?
By county, Smith County, Norton County, and Republic County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown Thrasher (counties with at least 200 checklists).