WhenToBird

Charadrius vociferus · Charadriidae

Killdeer: When and Where to See It

Adult Killdeer
Photo: Mason Holum, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Killdeer reaches Missouri first, around early February, and New York last, around mid February.

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.

Embed this map on your site

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.5% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.8% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.9% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.1% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.9% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.9% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.3% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.5% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.9% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.6% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.9% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.4% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.0% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.6% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
MissouriSummer visitorFeb 1-7Aug 15-21Nov 15-2120%
DelawareSummer visitorFeb 1-7Jul 8-14Nov 1-714%
MarylandSummer visitorFeb 1-7Aug 15-21Nov 8-1411%
IllinoisSummer visitorFeb 8-14Aug 8-14Oct 22-3130%
OhioSummer visitorFeb 8-14Aug 15-21Nov 1-729%
New JerseySummer visitorFeb 8-14Aug 15-21Nov 1-713%
Rhode IslandSummer visitorFeb 8-14Jul 22-31Nov 8-1413%
ConnecticutSummer visitorFeb 8-14Aug 8-14Oct 22-3111%
PennsylvaniaSummer visitorFeb 8-14Aug 8-14Nov 1-712%
District of ColumbiaSummer visitorFeb 8-14Aug 1-7Dec 8-147.4%
IowaSummer visitorFeb 15-21Aug 8-14Oct 22-3136%
MichiganSummer visitorFeb 15-21Apr 15-21Oct 15-2123%
New YorkSummer visitorFeb 15-21Aug 1-7Oct 8-1412%
NebraskaSummer visitorFeb 22-28Aug 1-7Oct 22-3130%
MontanaSummer visitorFeb 22-28May 1-7Oct 1-724%
WisconsinSummer visitorFeb 22-28Apr 15-21Oct 8-1420%
South DakotaSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 8-14Oct 1-734%
IdahoAll year, most in summerMar 1-7May 1-7Sep 22-3025%
MinnesotaSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 15-21Oct 1-716%
New MexicoAll year, most in springMar 1-7Apr 22-30Jun 1-714%
MaineSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 1-7Oct 1-76.4%
VermontSummer visitorMar 1-7Aug 15-21Oct 8-146.9%
UtahAll year, most in springMar 8-14Apr 22-30Jul 1-720%
WyomingSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 22-30Sep 22-3021%
North DakotaSummer visitorMar 15-21Jul 1-7Sep 15-2135%
ColoradoAll year, most in springMar 15-21Apr 15-21Jun 8-1423%
VirginiaAll year, most in summerJun 15-21Aug 22-31Sep 22-3010%
WashingtonAll year, most in summerJul 1-7Sep 1-7Oct 15-2120%
OregonAll year, most in summerJul 8-14Aug 22-31Oct 8-1417%
OklahomaAll year, most in fallJul 22-31Oct 15-21Nov 15-2124%
ArkansasAll year, most in fallAug 1-7Aug 22-31Nov 8-1421%
AlaskaWinter visitorOct 15-21Dec 1-7Feb 22-281.1%
IndianaWinter visitorFeb 1-7Mar 8-14Nov 8-1428%
KansasWinter visitorFeb 8-14Mar 15-21Nov 1-728%
West VirginiaWinter visitorFeb 8-14Mar 8-14Nov 15-2114%
MassachusettsWinter visitorFeb 22-28Mar 22-31Oct 15-2112%
New HampshireWinter visitorFeb 22-28Mar 22-31Oct 8-1410%
KentuckyYear-round–Sep 1-7–24%
LouisianaYear-round–Dec 8-14–23%
NevadaYear-round–Sep 1-7–22%
AlabamaYear-round–Nov 15-21–20%
TexasYear-round–Oct 22-31–20%
MississippiYear-round–Aug 22-31–19%
TennesseeYear-round–Nov 8-14–19%
ArizonaYear-round–Sep 15-21–17%
CaliforniaYear-round–Sep 1-7–17%
GeorgiaYear-round–Nov 22-30–14%
North CarolinaYear-round–Oct 22-31–14%
FloridaYear-round–Dec 1-7–13%
South CarolinaYear-round–Sep 1-7–12%

Winter visitor in: Alaska, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire

Summer visitor in: Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, Maine, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Vermont, North Dakota, Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas