WhenToBird

Regulus satrapa · Regulidae

When Do Golden-crowned Kinglets Arrive in New York?

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

Golden-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (21% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 21% of New York checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.1% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.9% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.9% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 15% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.2% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.5% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.6% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.7% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.9% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.8% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.0% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.7% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.3% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.6% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.4% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 22% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 22% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.7% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.6% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.8% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.2% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kings CountyBest mid October · 3112 checklists that week, 134,897 in all44%
  2. Orleans CountyBest the second week of October · 488 checklists that week, 16,706 in all31%
  3. Franklin CountyBest early October · 395 checklists that week, 20,717 in all31%
  4. Nassau CountyBest mid October · 1599 checklists that week, 95,019 in all30%
  5. Erie CountyBest mid October · 1562 checklists that week, 110,645 in all29%
  6. Queens CountyBest mid October · 1476 checklists that week, 76,201 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Braddock PointMonroe County, best mid October · 24 checklists that week, 3,345 in all85%
  2. Lakeside Beach State ParkOrleans County, best the second week of October · 28 checklists that week, 1,060 in all83%
  3. Conference House ParkRichmond County, best late October · 48 checklists that week, 1,273 in all78%
  4. Goodhue ParkRichmond County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 702 in all77%
  5. County of Monroe Land (West Creek)Monroe County, best mid October · 27 checklists that week, 1,150 in all77%
  6. Woodlawn Beach State ParkErie County, best the second week of October · 33 checklists that week, 1,583 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (6.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 4.8% of 124869 checklists7 am: 6.2% of 298506 checklists8 am: 6.0% of 337334 checklists9 am: 6.0% of 307787 checklists10 am: 5.5% of 270801 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 4.9% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 3.9% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 3.2% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 1.6% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January3.1%2.5%2.2%2.4%
February2.5%2.0%1.7%2.3%
March2.0%2.1%3.9%8.9%
April15%14%8.2%3.5%
May1.6%1.0%1.0%1.2%
June1.4%1.7%1.9%1.8%
July2.4%2.0%1.7%1.3%
August1.1%1.0%1.1%1.0%
September1.0%1.1%1.6%6.4%
October17%22%22%20%
November16%11%8.1%5.7%
December4.6%4.6%4.8%4.2%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives mid September, in the same week than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives mid September, in the same week than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late September, 1 week later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives late August, 3 weeks earlier than New York

Common questions

When do Golden-crowned Kinglets arrive in New York?
Golden-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (21% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Golden-crowned Kinglets leave New York?
Most Golden-crowned Kinglets have left New York by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Golden-crowned Kinglet in New York?
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in mid October, on about 21% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Golden-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Kings County, Orleans County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Golden-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).