WhenToBird

Nannopterum auritum · Phalacrocoracidae

When Do Double-crested Cormorants Arrive in Florida?

Adult Double-crested Cormorant
Photo: jubileej, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Double-crested Cormorants are in Florida all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in the second week of January (32% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 11% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Fall back byApr 8-14the second week of April
FewestSep 15-21mid September

Best: the second week of January. Here all year; numbers build from early November and fall back by the second week of April. Peak: on about 32% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 32% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 32% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 33% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 32% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 32% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 31% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 31% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 31% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 31% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 29% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 25% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 18% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 29% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 30% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 30% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 32% 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 early March · 150 checklists that week, 6,182 in all57%
  2. Taylor CountyBest early December · 36 checklists that week, 1,937 in all49%
  3. Pinellas CountyBest early January · 4630 checklists that week, 148,901 in all48%
  4. Franklin CountyBest mid November · 479 checklists that week, 20,336 in all47%
  5. Lee CountyBest mid December · 2136 checklists that week, 110,404 in all45%
  6. Collier CountyBest late November · 2102 checklists that week, 84,200 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. The UnionPasco County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 549 in all100%
  2. Robert J Strickland Memorial ParkPasco County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 996 in all100%
  3. Flint RiverGadsden County, best late January · 24 checklists that week, 242 in all97%
  4. Bystre LakeHernando County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 716 in all97%
  5. Boggy BayouPinellas County, best the second week of November · 39 checklists that week, 871 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Double-crested Cormorant is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (27% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 22% of 94591 checklists7 am: 27% of 296183 checklists8 am: 26% of 319987 checklists9 am: 25% of 254830 checklists10 am: 24% of 209480 checklists11 am: 24% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 23% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 24% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 24% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 24% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 23% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 18% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 14% 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
January32%32%33%32%
February32%31%28%31%
March31%31%30%29%
April25%23%20%18%
May15%14%14%14%
June14%13%13%13%
July12%12%13%13%
August13%12%12%12%
September12%11%11%11%
October13%14%16%20%
November25%29%30%31%
December31%31%30%32%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Double-crested Cormorants arrive in Florida?
Double-crested Cormorants are in Florida all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in the second week of January (32% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 11% of checklists.
When do Double-crested Cormorants leave Florida?
Double-crested Cormorants never fully leave Florida: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of April, but some are still reported in every week, about 11% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Double-crested Cormorant in Florida?
The Double-crested Cormorant is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 32% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Double-crested Cormorants seen most often?
By county, Glades County, Taylor County, and Pinellas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Double-crested Cormorant (counties with at least 200 checklists).