WhenToBird

Sialia sialis · Turdidae

When Do Eastern Bluebirds Arrive in Minnesota?

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

Eastern Bluebirds reach Minnesota in late February, are common by mid March, peak in mid June (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakJun 15-21mid June
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: mid June. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 12% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.0% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.1% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.5% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.9% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.8% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.6% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.9% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.3% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.6% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.1% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.7% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.6% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.4% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.9% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.4% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.1% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.7% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wadena CountyBest mid July · 32 checklists that week, 681 in all41%
  2. Todd CountyBest the second week of June · 94 checklists that week, 4,802 in all39%
  3. Steele CountyBest early June · 135 checklists that week, 4,784 in all37%
  4. Mower CountyBest the second week of June · 76 checklists that week, 2,590 in all32%
  5. Morrison CountyBest the second week of October · 44 checklists that week, 3,424 in all32%
  6. Fillmore CountyBest early October · 72 checklists that week, 3,791 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Frontenac State Park (west)Goodhue County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 463 in all93%
  2. Flying Cloud FieldsHennepin County, best late June · 130 checklists that week, 1,480 in all87%
  3. Belwin Conservancy (Lake Edith)Washington County, best early June · 28 checklists that week, 143 in all80%
  4. Afton State ParkWashington County, best the second week of October · 24 checklists that week, 2,419 in all80%
  5. Tamarack Nature CenterRamsey County, best the second week of July · 51 checklists that week, 1,999 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Eastern Bluebird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 11% of 35775 checklists7 am: 9.0% of 90565 checklists8 am: 8.8% of 110612 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 106128 checklists10 am: 6.6% of 96131 checklists11 am: 5.9% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 5.0% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 5.1% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 5.4% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 5.7% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 7.4% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 7.0% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January1.2%0.8%0.8%0.8%
February0.8%0.5%0.5%1.0%
March1.8%4.4%4.0%5.3%
April6.1%7.5%6.9%7.8%
May9.6%9.9%10%11%
June11%12%12%12%
July12%12%11%9.3%
August7.6%7.1%6.7%6.6%
September6.4%6.9%7.4%9.1%
October10%11%11%7.7%
November3.2%1.7%1.3%1.2%
December0.8%1.2%1.6%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: year-round, peaks mid October
  • Wisconsin: arrives late February, in the same week than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks later than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives late March, 4 weeks later than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Eastern Bluebirds arrive in Minnesota?
Eastern Bluebirds reach Minnesota in late February, are common by mid March, peak in mid June (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Eastern Bluebirds leave Minnesota?
Most Eastern Bluebirds have left Minnesota by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Bluebird in Minnesota?
The Eastern Bluebird is reported most often in mid June, on about 12% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Eastern Bluebirds seen most often?
By county, Wadena County, Todd County, and Steele County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Bluebird (counties with at least 200 checklists).