WhenToBird

Quiscalus quiscula · Icteridae

When Do Common Grackles Arrive in Florida?

Adult Common Grackle
Photo: Derek Spencer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Common Grackle is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 31% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 18% in its quietest week (early January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekJan 1-7early January

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 31% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 18% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 18% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 19% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 20% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 22% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 22% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 24% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 24% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 26% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 28% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 31% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 31% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 31% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 31% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 28% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 26% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 25% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 18% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 21% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 22% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 21% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 20% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 19% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Glades CountyBest the second week of May · 152 checklists that week, 6,182 in all65%
  2. Charlotte CountyBest the second week of October · 589 checklists that week, 40,485 in all55%
  3. Collier CountyBest late April · 2777 checklists that week, 84,200 in all52%
  4. Monroe CountyBest the second week of June · 779 checklists that week, 62,908 in all52%
  5. Lee CountyBest early June · 1145 checklists that week, 110,404 in all50%
  6. Sarasota CountyBest early June · 1344 checklists that week, 120,976 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake DestinySeminole County, best early June · 23 checklists that week, 1,410 in all100%
  2. Vista ParkBroward County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 608 in all96%
  3. Lemon Lake (Lemon Creek)Charlotte County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 532 in all95%
  4. Loxahatchee Slough Natural AreaPalm Beach County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 465 in all94%
  5. Tavernier HarborMonroe County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 261 in all93%
  6. Davis ParkHillsborough County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 665 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Common Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (36% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 37% of 94591 checklists7 am: 36% of 296183 checklists8 am: 30% of 319987 checklists9 am: 24% of 254830 checklists10 am: 19% of 209480 checklists11 am: 16% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 15% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 16% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 17% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 19% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 21% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 21% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 21% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January18%18%19%20%
February22%22%22%24%
March24%24%26%28%
April30%31%31%31%
May31%30%31%31%
June30%30%28%26%
July25%23%22%20%
August18%18%19%19%
September19%19%20%21%
October22%23%24%25%
November23%22%21%20%
December19%19%19%18%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of May
  • South Carolina: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of May
  • Alabama: all year, most in spring, peaks late April
  • Mississippi: all year, most in spring, peaks late May

Common questions

When do Common Grackles arrive in Florida?
The Common Grackle is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 31% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 18% in its quietest week (early January).
When do Common Grackles leave Florida?
The Common Grackle does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 18% of checklists in early January to 31% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Common Grackle in Florida?
The Common Grackle is reported most often in late April, on about 31% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Common Grackles seen most often?
By county, Glades County, Charlotte County, and Collier County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).