WhenToBird

Gallinula galeata · Rallidae

When Do Common Gallinules Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Common Gallinule
Photo: Russ Namitz, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Common Gallinules arrive in Michigan in late April, peak in the second week of August (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals late April; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 1.3% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.1% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.3% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest early July · 611 checklists that week, 22,078 in all23%
  2. Saginaw CountyBest the second week of September · 159 checklists that week, 8,573 in all16%
  3. Bay CountyBest mid June · 402 checklists that week, 16,522 in all16%
  4. Clinton CountyBest late May · 508 checklists that week, 10,597 in all12%
  5. Tuscola CountyBest mid July · 59 checklists that week, 5,683 in all8.4%
  6. Manistee CountyBest mid September · 246 checklists that week, 16,394 in all7.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Haven State Game Area (Bruce Bayou)Ottawa County, best the second week of May · 27 checklists that week, 144 in all74%
  2. Conner PitOttawa County, best early July · 25 checklists that week, 350 in all64%
  3. Quanicassee State Wildlife Area (west)Bay County, best late June · 32 checklists that week, 352 in all64%
  4. Pointe Mouillee State Game AreaMonroe County, best the second week of June · 93 checklists that week, 3,630 in all59%
  5. Grand Haven State Game AreaOttawa County, best early May · 39 checklists that week, 223 in all56%
  6. Shiawassee National Wildlife RefugeSaginaw County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 324 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Common Gallinule is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 1.3% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.6% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0.1%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.4%0.8%
May0.9%0.9%1.1%1.1%
June1.2%1.1%1.2%1.2%
July1.4%1.2%1.0%1.1%
August1.3%1.1%1.4%1.3%
September1.1%1.1%1.2%0.8%
October0.5%0.5%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late April, in the same week than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives late April, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of May, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • New York: arrives late April, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Common Gallinules arrive in Michigan?
Common Gallinules arrive in Michigan in late April, peak in the second week of August (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Common Gallinules leave Michigan?
Most Common Gallinules have left Michigan by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Common Gallinule in Michigan?
The Common Gallinule is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 1.3% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Common Gallinules seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Saginaw County, and Bay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Gallinule (counties with at least 200 checklists).