WhenToBird

Sturnus vulgaris · Sturnidae

When Do European Starlings Arrive in Missouri?

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

The European Starling is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 41% of checklists at its peak (mid February) and on 22% in its quietest week (late August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekFeb 15-21mid February
Quietest weekAug 22-31late August

Best: mid February. Here all year. Peak: on about 41% of Missouri 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. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 31% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 34% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 35% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 35% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 37% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 41% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 39% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 39% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 39% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 38% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 39% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 40% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 40% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 37% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 37% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 38% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 38% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 39% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 34% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 34% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 33% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 29% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 28% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 26% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 23% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 22% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 23% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 24% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 26% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 28% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 27% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 28% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 27% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 27% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 28% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 29% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 31% 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. St. Louis CityBest late March · 809 checklists that week, 28,925 in all77%
  2. Ripley CountyBest late November · 25 checklists that week, 1,058 in all75%
  3. Moniteau CountyBest the second week of April · 13 checklists that week, 614 in all71%
  4. Dunklin CountyBest mid June · 50 checklists that week, 4,078 in all70%
  5. New Madrid CountyBest mid February · 18 checklists that week, 1,138 in all70%
  6. Randolph CountyBest mid July · 10 checklists that week, 838 in all68%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Flynn ParkSt. Louis County, best early April · 41 checklists that week, 1,529 in all96%
  2. Forest Park (De Baliviere)St. Louis City, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 484 in all94%
  3. Jefferson Barracks County ParkSt. Louis County, best early May · 33 checklists that week, 1,157 in all92%
  4. Kirkwood (Greentree Park Access)St. Louis County, best early November · 22 checklists that week, 635 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the European Starling is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (42% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 40% of 27231 checklists7 am: 43% of 64162 checklists8 am: 40% of 67854 checklists9 am: 35% of 56515 checklists10 am: 30% of 47496 checklists11 am: 27% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 26% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 25% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 27% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 30% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 31% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 30% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 29% 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
January31%34%35%35%
February37%42%41%39%
March39%39%38%39%
April40%40%37%37%
May38%38%39%37%
June34%34%33%32%
July29%28%26%24%
August23%23%22%21%
September22%23%24%26%
October28%28%27%26%
November28%27%26%27%
December28%28%29%31%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early May
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks early May
  • Kansas: year-round, peaks mid May
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do European Starlings arrive in Missouri?
The European Starling is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 41% of checklists at its peak (mid February) and on 22% in its quietest week (late August).
When do European Starlings leave Missouri?
The European Starling does not leave Missouri: it is reported all year, from 22% of checklists in late August to 41% in mid February.
When is the best time to see a European Starling in Missouri?
The European Starling is reported most often in mid February, on about 41% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are European Starlings seen most often?
By county, St. Louis City, Ripley County, and Moniteau County have the highest peak reporting rates for the European Starling (counties with at least 200 checklists).