WhenToBird

Sialia sialis · Turdidae

When Do Eastern Bluebirds Arrive in Iowa?

Adult male Eastern Bluebird
Photo: Dan Vickers, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Eastern Bluebird is in Iowa all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (mid October) and on 4.6% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 15-21mid October
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: mid October. Here all year. Peak: on about 19% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.5% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.4% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.8% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.4% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.7% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.5% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.4% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 18% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 18% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 15% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 12% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 18% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 19% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.4% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.2% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.5% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.3% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.6% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.6% of 5113 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 Iowa 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Union CountyBest mid October · 23 checklists that week, 1,133 in all52%
  2. Cass CountyBest early May · 15 checklists that week, 449 in all48%
  3. Clarke CountyBest the second week of March · 13 checklists that week, 459 in all48%
  4. Greene CountyBest the second week of September · 27 checklists that week, 2,565 in all42%
  5. Page CountyBest the second week of April · 12 checklists that week, 230 in all42%
  6. Fayette CountyBest the second week of October · 29 checklists that week, 1,130 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kuehn Conservation AreaDallas County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 219 in all95%
  2. Saylorville Recreation Area (north)Polk County, best early July · 25 checklists that week, 577 in all80%
  3. Saylorville Recreation Area (southeast)Polk County, best mid July · 25 checklists that week, 867 in all79%
  4. Brenton ArboretumDallas County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 426 in all71%
  5. Walnut Woods State ParkPolk County, best the second week of May · 37 checklists that week, 643 in all71%
  6. Carr ParkStory County, best early May · 109 checklists that week, 1,200 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Eastern Bluebird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 20% of 11313 checklists7 am: 18% of 25717 checklists8 am: 17% of 29755 checklists9 am: 14% of 28897 checklists10 am: 13% of 26343 checklists11 am: 11% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 11% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 11% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 10% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 9.7% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 11% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 12% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 12% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 10% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January5.5%4.4%3.8%5.4%
February6.4%5.6%5.7%9.5%
March9.4%12%12%14%
April14%15%14%16%
May18%17%18%18%
June15%15%15%15%
July15%15%14%12%
August12%12%13%14%
September14%13%13%14%
October16%18%19%19%
November16%10%9.4%8.2%
December7.5%6.3%8.6%6.6%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Wisconsin: summer visitor, peaks the second week of July
  • Minnesota: summer visitor, peaks mid June
  • Illinois: all year, most in fall, peaks mid October

Common questions

When do Eastern Bluebirds arrive in Iowa?
The Eastern Bluebird is in Iowa all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (mid October) and on 4.6% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do Eastern Bluebirds leave Iowa?
The Eastern Bluebird does not leave Iowa: it is reported all year, from 4.6% of checklists in mid January to 19% in mid October.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Bluebird in Iowa?
The Eastern Bluebird is reported most often in mid October, on about 19% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Eastern Bluebirds seen most often?
By county, Union County, Cass County, and Clarke County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Bluebird (counties with at least 200 checklists).