WhenToBird

Regulus satrapa · Regulidae

When Do Golden-crowned Kinglets Arrive in Vermont?

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

Golden-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in Vermont: the first arrive in late August, they are common by the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byJan 1-7early January

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late August; most are gone by early January. Peak: on about 11% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.4% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.6% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.8% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.8% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.0% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.1% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.3% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.5% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.0% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.0% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.6% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.0% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.3% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.1% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.5% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.0% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.1% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.1% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.2% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.5% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.6% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.6% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.4% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.3% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.2% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.0% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Essex CountyBest early June · 454 checklists that week, 9,416 in all43%
  2. Caledonia CountyBest the second week of October · 143 checklists that week, 10,534 in all18%
  3. Lamoille CountyBest late September · 331 checklists that week, 16,426 in all15%
  4. Orleans CountyBest mid October · 253 checklists that week, 11,785 in all15%
  5. Chittenden CountyBest mid October · 1597 checklists that week, 109,477 in all14%
  6. Franklin CountyBest the second week of October · 481 checklists that week, 25,284 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife RefugeEssex County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 462 in all86%
  2. Wenlock Wildlife Management AreaEssex County, best early May · 72 checklists that week, 3,032 in all84%
  3. Laplatte Headwaters Town ForestChittenden County, best mid October · 23 checklists that week, 722 in all79%
  4. Colchester PondChittenden County, best mid October · 49 checklists that week, 3,341 in all45%
  5. Jewett BrookBennington County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 458 in all43%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 3.7% of 10340 checklists6 am: 5.0% of 30951 checklists7 am: 5.0% of 64150 checklists8 am: 4.5% of 70252 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 55280 checklists10 am: 4.1% of 47111 checklists11 am: 3.8% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 2.9% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 2.6% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January2.4%2.4%2.0%2.6%
February2.0%2.2%1.8%2.3%
March2.4%1.7%1.8%3.0%
April6.1%9.3%7.5%4.0%
May2.5%2.0%2.1%2.8%
June3.1%3.0%3.6%3.0%
July3.3%3.1%2.5%2.3%
August2.0%2.1%2.1%2.0%
September3.1%3.2%5.5%8.6%
October11%11%10%9.6%
November6.5%5.4%4.3%4.2%
December4.0%3.5%4.0%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late September, 4 weeks later than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid September, 3 weeks later than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives mid September, 3 weeks later than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives late September, 4 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Golden-crowned Kinglets arrive in Vermont?
Golden-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in Vermont: the first arrive in late August, they are common by the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.
When do Golden-crowned Kinglets leave Vermont?
Most Golden-crowned Kinglets have left Vermont by early January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Golden-crowned Kinglet in Vermont?
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 11% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Golden-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Caledonia County, and Lamoille County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Golden-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).