WhenToBird

Streptopelia decaocto · Columbidae

When Do Eurasian Collared-Doves Arrive in Illinois?

Adult Eurasian Collared-Dove
Photo: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eurasian Collared-Doves reach Illinois in early December, are common by late December, peak in late July (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 1-7early December
Common byDec 22-31late December
PeakJul 22-31late July
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: late July. First arrivals early December; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 1.8% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.6% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.9% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.8% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.8% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.8% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.4% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Effingham CountyBest late August · 21 checklists that week, 1,014 in all39%
  2. La Salle CountyBest late July · 274 checklists that week, 13,107 in all34%
  3. Scott CountyBest late February · 12 checklists that week, 320 in all31%
  4. Hamilton CountyBest mid August · 23 checklists that week, 619 in all25%
  5. Adams CountyBest the second week of July · 47 checklists that week, 4,585 in all24%
  6. Cass CountyBest early September · 18 checklists that week, 1,262 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. KanevilleKane County, best the second week of August · 42 checklists that week, 231 in all79%
  2. Lake PetersburgMenard County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 1,200 in all43%
  3. Sand LakeMason County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 301 in all34%
  4. Crystal Lake Park (Busey Woods)Champaign County, best early March · 24 checklists that week, 2,527 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Eurasian Collared-Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 95511 checklists7 am: 2.4% of 164584 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 163654 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 141804 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 122882 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January1.0%0.8%0.9%1.0%
February1.0%0.9%1.0%1.1%
March1.2%1.0%1.0%1.0%
April1.1%1.1%1.2%1.1%
May1.3%1.3%1.1%1.2%
June1.1%1.1%1.4%1.2%
July1.6%1.7%1.8%1.9%
August1.8%1.8%1.8%1.6%
September1.4%1.2%1.2%1.2%
October0.9%0.9%0.8%0.7%
November0.9%0.7%0.5%0.6%
December0.6%0.7%0.8%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives early December, in the same week than Illinois
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late July
  • Kentucky: arrives late November, 1 week earlier than Illinois
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks early August

Common questions

When do Eurasian Collared-Doves arrive in Illinois?
Eurasian Collared-Doves reach Illinois in early December, are common by late December, peak in late July (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Eurasian Collared-Doves leave Illinois?
Most Eurasian Collared-Doves have left Illinois by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Eurasian Collared-Dove in Illinois?
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is reported most often in late July, on about 1.8% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Eurasian Collared-Doves seen most often?
By county, Effingham County, La Salle County, and Scott County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eurasian Collared-Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).