WhenToBird

Larus glaucoides · Laridae

When Do Iceland Gulls Arrive in Illinois?

Adult Iceland Gull
Photo: Diego González Dopico, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Iceland Gulls are winter birds in Illinois: they arrive in early December, peak in late January (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 1-7early December
Common byDec 1-7early December
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: late January. First arrivals early December; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 1.5% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake CountyBest the second week of February · 1942 checklists that week, 113,940 in all8.4%
  2. Rock Island CountyBest late January · 313 checklists that week, 12,910 in all8.2%
  3. Whiteside CountyBest mid February · 121 checklists that week, 4,111 in all4.1%
  4. Madison CountyBest early February · 452 checklists that week, 20,353 in all3.5%
  5. Will CountyBest late January · 1425 checklists that week, 58,705 in all3.2%
  6. Tazewell CountyBest late January · 404 checklists that week, 14,008 in all2.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Midewin National Tallgrass PrairieWill County, best mid January · 46 checklists that week, 472 in all56%
  2. Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park (north)Lake County, best the second week of February · 192 checklists that week, 5,119 in all49%
  3. Dead Stick PondCook County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 657 in all39%
  4. Chicago HarborCook County, best mid January · 33 checklists that week, 885 in all38%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Iceland Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 95511 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 164584 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 163654 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 141804 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 122882 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January0.9%1.3%1.2%1.7%
February1.4%1.0%1.6%0.7%
March0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.2%0.2%0.4%0.5%
December0.5%0.6%0.5%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives mid November, 2 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Kansas: arrives early January, 4 weeks later than Illinois
  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • New York: arrives late November, 1 week earlier than Illinois

Common questions

When do Iceland Gulls arrive in Illinois?
Iceland Gulls are winter birds in Illinois: they arrive in early December, peak in late January (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Iceland Gulls leave Illinois?
Most Iceland Gulls have left Illinois by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Iceland Gull in Illinois?
The Iceland Gull is reported most often in late January, on about 1.5% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Iceland Gulls seen most often?
By county, Lake County, Rock Island County, and Whiteside County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Iceland Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).