WhenToBird

Sturnus vulgaris · Sturnidae

When Do European Starlings Arrive in Illinois?

Adult female European Starling
Photo: egorbirder, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The European Starling is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 25% in its quietest week (early September).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekSep 1-7early September

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 39% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 26% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 28% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 29% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 30% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 30% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 31% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 34% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 34% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 36% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 37% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 37% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 40% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 37% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 36% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 37% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 38% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 39% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 31% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 30% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 32% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 31% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 29% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 28% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 28% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 26% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 28% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 31% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 30% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 28% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 30% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 27% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 26% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 26% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 26% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% 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. Mercer CountyBest late January · 12 checklists that week, 949 in all84%
  2. Knox CountyBest the second week of April · 150 checklists that week, 6,781 in all73%
  3. Scott CountyBest early July · 20 checklists that week, 320 in all69%
  4. Douglas CountyBest the second week of October · 13 checklists that week, 992 in all67%
  5. Bureau CountyBest early June · 173 checklists that week, 10,244 in all66%
  6. Richland CountyBest early December · 10 checklists that week, 580 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. OaktonCook County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 576 in all98%
  2. Lincoln (Abraham) (Buena Park)Cook County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 508 in all94%
  3. Armstrong ParkDuPage County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 1,630 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the European Starling is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (44% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 43% of 95511 checklists7 am: 44% of 164584 checklists8 am: 38% of 163654 checklists9 am: 32% of 141804 checklists10 am: 28% of 122882 checklists11 am: 26% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 26% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 25% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 26% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 27% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 28% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 29% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 28% 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
January26%27%29%28%
February29%30%30%31%
March34%34%36%37%
April37%39%40%37%
May36%37%38%39%
June33%31%31%30%
July32%31%30%29%
August28%28%28%25%
September24%26%28%29%
October31%30%29%28%
November30%27%26%26%
December26%26%28%27%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks late April
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks early May

Common questions

When do European Starlings arrive in Illinois?
The European Starling is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 25% in its quietest week (early September).
When do European Starlings leave Illinois?
The European Starling does not leave Illinois: it is reported all year, from 25% of checklists in early September to 39% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a European Starling in Illinois?
The European Starling is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 39% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are European Starlings seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Knox County, and Scott County have the highest peak reporting rates for the European Starling (counties with at least 200 checklists).