WhenToBird

Sturnus vulgaris · Sturnidae

When Do European Starlings Arrive in Nebraska?

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

The European Starling is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 24% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekAug 1-7early August

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 37% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  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. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 28% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 30% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 30% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 31% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 31% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 31% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 32% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 31% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 36% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 37% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 37% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 37% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 37% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 35% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 32% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 30% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 30% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 28% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 25% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 25% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 28% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 32% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 29% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 33% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 34% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 32% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 30% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 27% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 29% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 28% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 30% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Madison CountyBest the second week of May · 82 checklists that week, 1,920 in all67%
  2. Dodge CountyBest mid March · 195 checklists that week, 8,625 in all66%
  3. Custer CountyBest late September · 30 checklists that week, 848 in all66%
  4. Dawson CountyBest early October · 16 checklists that week, 750 in all65%
  5. Red Willow CountyBest late May · 30 checklists that week, 594 in all65%
  6. Thurston CountyBest late June · 12 checklists that week, 237 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Medelmans LakeMadison County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 367 in all94%
  2. Janicek ReservoirKimball County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 173 in all88%
  3. Mercer ParkDouglas County, best mid April · 28 checklists that week, 696 in all88%
  4. Salt LakeLancaster County, best mid July · 45 checklists that week, 2,553 in all85%
  5. N. P. Dodge Memorial ParkDouglas County, best late April · 55 checklists that week, 371 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, 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 (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 42% of 6945 checklists7 am: 42% of 19066 checklists8 am: 42% of 24661 checklists9 am: 36% of 23438 checklists10 am: 29% of 20424 checklists11 am: 25% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 24% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 23% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 24% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 27% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 32% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 35% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 35% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 30% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January28%30%30%30%
February28%31%31%31%
March32%31%30%31%
April33%36%37%37%
May37%37%35%37%
June33%32%32%30%
July30%28%25%24%
August25%24%25%28%
September28%32%29%33%
October34%34%30%32%
November30%27%29%28%
December29%30%32%29%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do European Starlings arrive in Nebraska?
The European Starling is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 24% in its quietest week (early August).
When do European Starlings leave Nebraska?
The European Starling does not leave Nebraska: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in early August to 37% in early May.
When is the best time to see a European Starling in Nebraska?
The European Starling is reported most often in early May, on about 37% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are European Starlings seen most often?
By county, Madison County, Dodge County, and Custer County have the highest peak reporting rates for the European Starling (counties with at least 200 checklists).