WhenToBird

Eremophila alpestris · Alaudidae

When Do Horned Larks Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Horned Lark
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Horned Larks are in Kansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid January, peak in the second week of April (8.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid June. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJan 15-21mid January
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byJun 15-21mid June
FewestSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from mid January and fall back by mid June. Peak: on about 8.5% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.2% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.1% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.3% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.9% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.2% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.4% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.8% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.3% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.3% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.0% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.0% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.8% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.5% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.8% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.8% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.1% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.1% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.5% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.3% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.1% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.2% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.7% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.4% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.7% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.6% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.7% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.1% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.1% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.2% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.7% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.7% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.8% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.5% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.2% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.0% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.0% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.1% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.9% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.3% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.7% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.3% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.7% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.9% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hodgeman CountyBest the second week of March · 13 checklists that week, 670 in all77%
  2. Stanton CountyBest the second week of April · 13 checklists that week, 604 in all76%
  3. Wichita CountyBest late January · 12 checklists that week, 256 in all75%
  4. Greeley CountyBest mid August · 21 checklists that week, 329 in all70%
  5. Logan CountyBest the second week of April · 116 checklists that week, 1,379 in all70%
  6. Gove CountyBest early April · 39 checklists that week, 1,282 in all69%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chalk Bluffs FeeLogan County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 194 in all97%
  2. Greater Flint Hills Fee (southeast)Riley County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 141 in all57%
  3. Ford State Fishing Lake and Wildlife AreaFord County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 325 in all49%
  4. Arkalon ParkSeward County, best the second week of May · 30 checklists that week, 178 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Horned Lark is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (6.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 7.5% of 12550 checklists7 am: 4.7% of 34128 checklists8 am: 5.0% of 45960 checklists9 am: 6.2% of 37806 checklists10 am: 6.8% of 32102 checklists11 am: 6.6% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 5.4% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 5.9% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 5.6% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 5.6% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 5.2% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 5.3% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 5.2% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January5.2%5.1%6.3%6.9%
February7.2%5.4%4.8%7.2%
March6.3%6.3%8.0%8.0%
April7.8%9.5%8.1%6.8%
May6.8%6.1%5.1%6.5%
June6.3%6.1%5.2%5.7%
July4.4%3.7%3.6%3.7%
August4.1%3.1%3.8%3.2%
September2.7%2.7%2.8%3.5%
October4.2%5.0%6.0%5.1%
November5.0%5.9%5.3%5.1%
December4.7%4.3%4.7%4.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives early June, 18 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 14 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early October, 14 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of October, 13 weeks earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do Horned Larks arrive in Kansas?
Horned Larks are in Kansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid January, peak in the second week of April (8.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid June. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.
When do Horned Larks leave Kansas?
Horned Larks never fully leave Kansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid June, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Horned Lark in Kansas?
The Horned Lark is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 8.5% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Horned Larks seen most often?
By county, Hodgeman County, Stanton County, and Wichita County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Lark (counties with at least 200 checklists).