WhenToBird

Sturnus vulgaris · Sturnidae

When Do European Starlings Arrive in Kansas?

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

The European Starling is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (mid May) and on 24% in its quietest week (the second week of August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 15-21mid May
Quietest weekAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: mid May. Here all year. Peak: on about 38% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 27% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 29% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 33% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 33% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 34% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 31% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 34% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 35% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 36% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 37% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 38% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 29% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 28% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 24% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 25% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 26% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 26% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 29% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 26% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 26% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 28% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grant CountyBest late May · 12 checklists that week, 344 in all71%
  2. Mitchell CountyBest mid May · 12 checklists that week, 739 in all71%
  3. Pratt CountyBest late April · 102 checklists that week, 1,637 in all67%
  4. Crawford CountyBest late July · 49 checklists that week, 2,687 in all67%
  5. Seward CountyBest early June · 31 checklists that week, 566 in all66%
  6. Ellsworth CountyBest late April · 157 checklists that week, 3,457 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Burcham ParkDouglas County, best late September · 30 checklists that week, 1,300 in all96%
  2. Warnock LakeAtchison County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 647 in all87%
  3. Cheney State ParkReno County, best mid June · 26 checklists that week, 1,708 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the European Starling is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (41% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 39% of 12550 checklists7 am: 42% of 34128 checklists8 am: 41% of 45960 checklists9 am: 34% of 37806 checklists10 am: 27% of 32102 checklists11 am: 24% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 25% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 23% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 23% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 26% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 28% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 29% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 30% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 28% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January27%27%29%29%
February29%33%32%33%
March33%34%31%34%
April34%35%36%36%
May37%38%37%37%
June33%35%32%29%
July28%27%24%24%
August24%24%23%25%
September23%25%26%26%
October29%28%28%25%
November26%24%26%25%
December26%28%28%29%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: year-round, peaks early May
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks mid February
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early May

Common questions

When do European Starlings arrive in Kansas?
The European Starling is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (mid May) and on 24% in its quietest week (the second week of August).
When do European Starlings leave Kansas?
The European Starling does not leave Kansas: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in the second week of August to 38% in mid May.
When is the best time to see a European Starling in Kansas?
The European Starling is reported most often in mid May, on about 38% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are European Starlings seen most often?
By county, Grant County, Mitchell County, and Pratt County have the highest peak reporting rates for the European Starling (counties with at least 200 checklists).