WhenToBird

Regulus satrapa · Regulidae

When Do Golden-crowned Kinglets Arrive in Maine?

Adult Golden-crowned Kinglet
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Golden-crowned Kinglets are in Maine all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (19% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (late February) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byNov 15-21mid November
FewestFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by mid November. Peak: on about 19% of Maine checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.1% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.8% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.4% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.9% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.1% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.9% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.3% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.1% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.5% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.7% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.1% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.6% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.4% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.9% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 10% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.2% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.1% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 10% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 10% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.6% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.1% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.6% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.7% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.8% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.0% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.5% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.1% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.7% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 18% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 10% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.8% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.3% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.6% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.5% of 14285 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 Maine 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Piscataquis CountyBest early October · 149 checklists that week, 14,837 in all33%
  2. Washington CountyBest the second week of October · 437 checklists that week, 35,967 in all32%
  3. Aroostook CountyBest mid July · 613 checklists that week, 16,817 in all28%
  4. Hancock CountyBest the second week of October · 2397 checklists that week, 118,358 in all27%
  5. Waldo CountyBest the second week of October · 549 checklists that week, 33,433 in all24%
  6. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of October · 1150 checklists that week, 59,429 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ship Harbor (Wonderland)Hancock County, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 899 in all77%
  2. Boot CoveWashington County, best early June · 39 checklists that week, 423 in all73%
  3. Pigeon Hill BayWashington County, best late May · 34 checklists that week, 462 in all71%
  4. Indian Point-Blagden PreserveHancock County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 495 in all70%
  5. Valley CoveHancock County, best early June · 50 checklists that week, 252 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 13% of 19895 checklists6 am: 12% of 54578 checklists7 am: 9.6% of 92775 checklists8 am: 9.1% of 86962 checklists9 am: 9.1% of 78989 checklists10 am: 8.5% of 70954 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 7.1% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 7.7% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 7.5% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 5.5% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 4.8% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) 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
January5.4%5.1%4.8%4.4%
February3.9%3.1%2.7%3.3%
March2.9%3.3%3.1%3.5%
April6.4%11%11%6.7%
May6.1%5.6%6.4%7.9%
June10%8.2%9.1%10%
July10%10%9.6%9.1%
August7.6%7.7%7.8%8.0%
September7.5%9.1%9.7%15%
October19%19%18%16%
November13%11%11%10%
December7.8%7.3%8.6%7.5%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late September, 1 week later than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid September, in the same week than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives late August, 3 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives late September, 1 week later than Maine

Common questions

When do Golden-crowned Kinglets arrive in Maine?
Golden-crowned Kinglets are in Maine all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (19% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (late February) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.
When do Golden-crowned Kinglets leave Maine?
Golden-crowned Kinglets never fully leave Maine: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid November, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Golden-crowned Kinglet in Maine?
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 19% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Golden-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Piscataquis County, Washington County, and Aroostook County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Golden-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).