WhenToBird

Branta canadensis · Anatidae

When Do Canada Geese Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Canada Goose
Photo: Tser, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Canada Geese are in Kansas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in early March (42% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 15% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 1-7early March
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: early March. Here all year; numbers build from early November and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 42% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 39% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 39% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 37% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 42% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 43% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 35% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 33% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 43% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 42% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 40% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 41% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 40% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 38% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 36% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 38% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 36% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 31% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 27% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 19% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 14% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 24% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 28% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 36% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 37% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 39% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 40% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 39% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 36% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 37% 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. Rawlins CountyBest the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 522 in all75%
  2. Wyandotte CountyBest early January · 99 checklists that week, 3,430 in all71%
  3. Harper CountyBest mid March · 11 checklists that week, 946 in all71%
  4. Brown CountyBest mid March · 95 checklists that week, 2,536 in all70%
  5. Rooks CountyBest the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 514 in all69%
  6. Ottawa CountyBest late March · 32 checklists that week, 523 in all68%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kingston LakeJohnson County, best early January · 38 checklists that week, 504 in all100%
  2. Dyck Arboretum of the PlainsHarvey County, best late March · 34 checklists that week, 983 in all100%
  3. Clinton LakeDouglas County, best mid April · 27 checklists that week, 1,461 in all100%
  4. Warnock LakeAtchison County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 647 in all100%
  5. Mill Creek StreamwayJohnson County, best the second week of March · 27 checklists that week, 1,119 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Canada Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (35% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 32% of 12550 checklists7 am: 34% of 34128 checklists8 am: 36% of 45960 checklists9 am: 33% of 37806 checklists10 am: 31% of 32102 checklists11 am: 29% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 30% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 29% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 29% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 28% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 30% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 28% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 24% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 21% 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
January39%39%37%42%
February43%35%33%43%
March42%40%41%40%
April38%36%38%36%
May33%31%31%27%
June19%16%16%14%
July14%17%19%19%
August16%18%16%15%
September17%17%17%22%
October22%21%21%24%
November28%36%37%39%
December40%39%36%37%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of February, 13 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Missouri: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid February, 14 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Canada Geese arrive in Kansas?
Canada Geese are in Kansas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in early March (42% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 15% of checklists.
When do Canada Geese leave Kansas?
Canada Geese never fully leave Kansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 15% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Canada Goose in Kansas?
The Canada Goose is reported most often in early March, on about 42% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Canada Geese seen most often?
By county, Rawlins County, Wyandotte County, and Harper County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canada Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).