WhenToBird

Pipilo erythrophthalmus · Passerellidae

When Do Eastern Towhees Arrive in Missouri?

Adult male Eastern Towhee
Photo: Jonathan Layman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Towhees reach Missouri in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid April (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: mid April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 15% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.8% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.4% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.9% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.6% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.3% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.9% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.3% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.2% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.7% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.7% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.0% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.3% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.4% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.0% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.7% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.7% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.2% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.7% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.2% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.3% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.0% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.6% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.5% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.5% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.6% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.9% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.1% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.6% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.2% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.5% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% of 13142 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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ralls CountyBest early May · 31 checklists that week, 1,204 in all68%
  2. St. Clair CountyBest late September · 35 checklists that week, 1,484 in all53%
  3. Ste. Genevieve CountyBest late April · 117 checklists that week, 1,675 in all51%
  4. Dent CountyBest late April · 55 checklists that week, 703 in all50%
  5. Barton CountyBest mid August · 22 checklists that week, 1,629 in all49%
  6. Gasconade CountyBest mid April · 11 checklists that week, 478 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. August A Busch Lake Number 9St. Charles County, best early June · 48 checklists that week, 1,115 in all86%
  2. John J. Audubon Regional Nature and Artist CenterPhelps County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 1,077 in all81%
  3. Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (east)Boone County, best mid April · 26 checklists that week, 263 in all78%
  4. Lincoln Hills Natural AreaLincoln County, best mid May · 26 checklists that week, 639 in all74%
  5. Sugar Creek Conservation AreaAdair County, best the second week of May · 24 checklists that week, 150 in all73%
  6. Tower Grove ParkSt. Louis City, best mid April · 282 checklists that week, 6,087 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Eastern Towhee is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 14% of 27231 checklists7 am: 9.3% of 64162 checklists8 am: 8.1% of 67854 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 56515 checklists10 am: 6.0% of 47496 checklists11 am: 5.3% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 5.2% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 4.9% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 5.1% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 5.1% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 6.6% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 6.7% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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%2.0%2.2%1.8%
February2.4%1.9%2.3%2.6%
March3.3%5.9%7.3%10%
April12%14%15%16%
May13%11%10%9.2%
June9.7%9.7%9.0%9.3%
July9.4%9.0%8.7%7.7%
August7.2%6.7%6.2%4.1%
September4.3%4.0%3.6%3.5%
October3.8%5.5%7.6%6.9%
November4.6%3.1%2.6%2.2%
December1.5%1.9%2.3%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of October, 18 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Iowa: arrives late March, 4 weeks later than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives mid March, 3 weeks later than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives mid January, 5 weeks earlier than Missouri

Common questions

When do Eastern Towhees arrive in Missouri?
Eastern Towhees reach Missouri in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid April (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Eastern Towhees leave Missouri?
Most Eastern Towhees have left Missouri by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid November.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Towhee in Missouri?
The Eastern Towhee is reported most often in mid April, on about 15% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Eastern Towhees seen most often?
By county, Ralls County, St. Clair County, and Ste. Genevieve County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Towhee (counties with at least 200 checklists).