WhenToBird

Regulus satrapa · Regulidae

When Do Golden-crowned Kinglets Arrive in Ohio?

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

Golden-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (20% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

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

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 20% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 6.0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.6% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.3% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.2% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.3% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.6% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.6% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.3% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.0% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.6% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.3% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.3% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.1% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.2% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake CountyBest mid October · 1068 checklists that week, 59,983 in all37%
  2. Putnam CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 927 in all36%
  3. Hocking CountyBest early November · 90 checklists that week, 9,085 in all33%
  4. Champaign CountyBest mid October · 19 checklists that week, 2,549 in all33%
  5. Cuyahoga CountyBest mid October · 2370 checklists that week, 158,034 in all32%
  6. Lorain CountyBest mid October · 884 checklists that week, 59,913 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cleveland Lakefront State Park - Gordon ParkCuyahoga County, best mid October · 217 checklists that week, 11,083 in all81%
  2. Shipman PondLake County, best the second week of April · 39 checklists that week, 852 in all81%
  3. Jeffrey ParkFranklin County, best early April · 32 checklists that week, 477 in all79%
  4. Richardson Road ParklandFranklin County, best early April · 39 checklists that week, 1,927 in all77%
  5. Plaza at Huron PointCuyahoga County, best mid October · 48 checklists that week, 1,714 in all76%
  6. Magee Marsh Wildlife AreaLucas County, best mid October · 49 checklists that week, 22,210 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (6.4% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 2.2% of 43093 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 142017 checklists8 am: 6.6% of 205296 checklists9 am: 6.3% of 196322 checklists10 am: 5.9% of 170882 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 5.3% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 5.6% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 5.5% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 5.4% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 4.7% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 2.6% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.9% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January6.0%5.0%4.6%4.6%
February4.3%3.5%2.7%3.2%
March3.2%3.3%4.6%12%
April21%18%9.6%3.3%
May0.9%0.4%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0%0.1%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%3.0%
October12%19%20%21%
November18%12%10%8.6%
December7.3%7.3%9.1%8.2%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late September, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late September, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives late September, 1 week later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Golden-crowned Kinglets arrive in Ohio?
Golden-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (20% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Golden-crowned Kinglets leave Ohio?
Most Golden-crowned Kinglets have left Ohio by mid 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 Ohio?
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in mid October, on about 20% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Golden-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Lake County, Putnam County, and Hocking County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Golden-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).