WhenToBird

Spiza americana · Cardinalidae

When Do Dickcissels Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Dickcissel
Photo: cwwood, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Dickcissels mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in early June, peak in late June (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 1-7early June
Common byJun 1-7early June
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: late June. First arrivals early June; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 2.6% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  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%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% 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: 0.1% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.7% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.5% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% 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. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of July · 101 checklists that week, 5,892 in all24%
  2. Monroe CountyBest late June · 409 checklists that week, 22,078 in all14%
  3. St. Joseph CountyBest the second week of June · 95 checklists that week, 6,972 in all11%
  4. Shiawassee CountyBest late June · 61 checklists that week, 3,113 in all9.3%
  5. Hillsdale CountyBest early July · 278 checklists that week, 9,510 in all8.3%
  6. Muskegon CountyBest early July · 461 checklists that week, 26,420 in all6.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sharonville State Game AreaWashtenaw County, best early July · 27 checklists that week, 426 in all78%
  2. Muskegon County Wastewater System Management AreaMuskegon County, best early July · 45 checklists that week, 2,330 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Dickcissel is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.5% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.5% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0.1%0.1%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.5%
June1.4%2.3%2.7%2.6%
July2.5%1.7%1.2%0.8%
August0.6%0.2%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late May, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives early May, 4 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives early May, 4 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives late May, 1 week earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do Dickcissels arrive in Michigan?
Dickcissels mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in early June, peak in late June (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Dickcissels leave Michigan?
Most Dickcissels have left Michigan by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Dickcissel in Michigan?
The Dickcissel is reported most often in late June, on about 2.6% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Dickcissels seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Monroe County, and St. Joseph County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dickcissel (counties with at least 200 checklists).