WhenToBird

Nannopterum auritum · Phalacrocoracidae

When Do Double-crested Cormorants Arrive in Kentucky?

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

Double-crested Cormorants reach Kentucky in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in late August (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: late August. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 12% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.4% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.6% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.0% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.6% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.8% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.6% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.6% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.6% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.5% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.5% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.8% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.8% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.2% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.0% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.3% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.4% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.0% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.5% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.7% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.9% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.4% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.5% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.8% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.1% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.8% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.7% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.7% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.0% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.8% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Livingston CountyBest early September · 29 checklists that week, 1,092 in all63%
  2. Lyon CountyBest the second week of March · 18 checklists that week, 2,125 in all61%
  3. Taylor CountyBest late September · 19 checklists that week, 740 in all53%
  4. Gallatin CountyBest late October · 12 checklists that week, 470 in all43%
  5. Russell CountyBest mid August · 20 checklists that week, 1,208 in all43%
  6. Trigg CountyBest the second week of March · 40 checklists that week, 2,683 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Falls of the OhioJefferson County, best the second week of November · 71 checklists that week, 2,592 in all99%
  2. Kentucky LakeMarshall County, best mid September · 30 checklists that week, 517 in all98%
  3. Lake HickmanFayette County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 1,926 in all95%
  4. Reservoir Number OneFayette County, best early April · 22 checklists that week, 195 in all93%
  5. Barkley Recreation AreaLyon County, best late April · 36 checklists that week, 390 in all88%
  6. Jacobson ParkFayette County, best early September · 38 checklists that week, 1,922 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Double-crested Cormorant is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (6.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 4.8% of 8227 checklists7 am: 5.3% of 24608 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 36577 checklists9 am: 5.5% of 34626 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 28796 checklists11 am: 6.9% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 6.7% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 6.5% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 6.5% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 5.9% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 4.7% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 5.7% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 5.5% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January2.1%2.4%3.2%3.0%
February2.2%1.4%1.7%3.0%
March3.6%5.0%7.6%7.8%
April6.6%6.6%4.8%5.6%
May4.5%4.5%3.8%3.8%
June3.1%4.2%3.0%3.3%
July4.4%6.0%5.3%7.5%
August8.7%9.9%11%11%
September13%10%11%9.4%
October7.5%6.8%8.1%9.8%
November9.7%9.7%7.0%6.8%
December5.8%4.2%2.4%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives mid June, 15 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives late February, in the same week than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives late February, in the same week than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives early March, 1 week later than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Double-crested Cormorants arrive in Kentucky?
Double-crested Cormorants reach Kentucky in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in late August (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Double-crested Cormorants leave Kentucky?
Most Double-crested Cormorants have left Kentucky by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid December.
When is the best time to see a Double-crested Cormorant in Kentucky?
The Double-crested Cormorant is reported most often in late August, on about 12% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Double-crested Cormorants seen most often?
By county, Livingston County, Lyon County, and Taylor County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Double-crested Cormorant (counties with at least 200 checklists).