WhenToBird

Setophaga cerulea · Parulidae

When Do Cerulean Warblers Arrive in New York?

Adult female Cerulean Warbler
Photo: William Jones, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cerulean Warblers mostly pass through New York: they arrive in early May, peak in late May (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: late May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 1.7% of New York checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.8% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.7% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rockland CountyBest mid May · 1167 checklists that week, 35,579 in all17%
  2. Wayne CountyBest late May · 1679 checklists that week, 37,738 in all12%
  3. Orange CountyBest late May · 2815 checklists that week, 74,227 in all11%
  4. Genesee CountyBest late May · 1173 checklists that week, 17,726 in all11%
  5. Sullivan CountyBest the second week of May · 1263 checklists that week, 28,620 in all10%
  6. Cayuga CountyBest early June · 450 checklists that week, 20,184 in all9.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Doodletown BightRockland County, best late May · 218 checklists that week, 1,325 in all92%
  2. Little Stony PointPutnam County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 322 in all76%
  3. Northern Montezuma Wma (Hickory Hill)Cayuga County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 230 in all71%
  4. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (Munsons Corner)Seneca County, best the second week of June · 26 checklists that week, 519 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Cerulean Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 0.6% of 124869 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 298506 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 337334 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 307787 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 270801 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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%0%0.1%0.1%
May0.9%1.3%1.8%1.7%
June1.3%1.0%0.9%0.6%
July0.4%0.3%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than New York
  • Virginia: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than New York
  • West Virginia: arrives mid April, 2 weeks earlier than New York

Common questions

When do Cerulean Warblers arrive in New York?
Cerulean Warblers mostly pass through New York: they arrive in early May, peak in late May (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Cerulean Warblers leave New York?
Most Cerulean Warblers have left New York by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cerulean Warbler in New York?
The Cerulean Warbler is reported most often in late May, on about 1.7% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Cerulean Warblers seen most often?
By county, Rockland County, Wayne County, and Orange County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cerulean Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).