WhenToBird

Sterna forsteri · Laridae

When Do Forster's Terns Arrive in Kentucky?

Adult Forster's Tern
Photo: Aitor, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Forster's Terns arrive in Kentucky in early August, peak in the second week of September (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 1-7early August
Common byAug 1-7early August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byDec 22-31late December

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals early August; most are gone by late December. Peak: on about 1.1% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Juluncommon
  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%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Calloway CountyBest mid November · 37 checklists that week, 2,825 in all25%
  2. Marshall CountyBest early September · 148 checklists that week, 7,392 in all24%
  3. Livingston CountyBest mid April · 18 checklists that week, 1,092 in all18%
  4. Lyon CountyBest mid April · 68 checklists that week, 2,125 in all13%
  5. Russell CountyBest late September · 44 checklists that week, 1,208 in all12%
  6. Taylor CountyBest the second week of October · 10 checklists that week, 740 in all8.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. McClain BranchMarshall County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 314 in all86%
  2. Kentucky ReservoirMarshall County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 444 in all74%
  3. Barkley Recreation AreaLyon County, best late April · 36 checklists that week, 390 in all57%
  4. Double CreekLivingston County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 155 in all46%
  5. Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park (Taylor Creek)Marshall County, best late April · 37 checklists that week, 183 in all38%
  6. Kentucky LakeMarshall County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 517 in all25%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Forster's Tern is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 8227 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 24608 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 36577 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 34626 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 28796 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January0.2%0.1%0.2%0.1%
February0.1%0.2%0.3%0.2%
March0.4%0.3%0.5%0.5%
April0.4%0.6%0.5%1.1%
May0.8%0.3%0.4%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.3%
August0.3%0.3%0.6%0.9%
September1.2%1.0%1.2%1.1%
October0.5%0.4%0.7%0.7%
November0.7%0.6%0.8%0.6%
December0.6%0.6%0.4%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives mid July, 2 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives mid July, 2 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives mid April, 14 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives mid April, 14 weeks earlier than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Forster's Terns arrive in Kentucky?
Forster's Terns arrive in Kentucky in early August, peak in the second week of September (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late December.
When do Forster's Terns leave Kentucky?
Most Forster's Terns have left Kentucky by late December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Forster's Tern in Kentucky?
The Forster's Tern is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 1.1% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Forster's Terns seen most often?
By county, Calloway County, Marshall County, and Livingston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Forster's Tern (counties with at least 200 checklists).