WhenToBird

Charadrius vociferus · Charadriidae

When Do Killdeers Arrive in Idaho?

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

Killdeers are in Idaho all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early March, peak in early May (25% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Fall back bySep 22-30late September
FewestJan 22-31late January

Best: early May. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by late September. Peak: on about 25% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.5% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.2% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.6% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.5% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.9% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 18% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 24% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 26% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 19% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 16% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.7% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.0% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.8% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.9% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.2% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 7792 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 Idaho 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jerome CountyBest late October · 38 checklists that week, 804 in all63%
  2. Power CountyBest the second week of September · 83 checklists that week, 2,278 in all55%
  3. Payette CountyBest early May · 92 checklists that week, 2,860 in all54%
  4. Camas CountyBest the second week of June · 111 checklists that week, 2,112 in all50%
  5. Minidoka CountyBest mid October · 44 checklists that week, 1,365 in all49%
  6. Owyhee CountyBest late July · 80 checklists that week, 7,837 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mann LakeNez Perce County, best late July · 76 checklists that week, 1,366 in all99%
  2. Little RockGem County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 620 in all97%
  3. Blacks Creek ReservoirAda County, best early August · 133 checklists that week, 3,935 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Killdeer is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (19% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 19% of 9122 checklists7 am: 19% of 22204 checklists8 am: 16% of 38672 checklists9 am: 16% of 38930 checklists10 am: 14% of 37338 checklists11 am: 13% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 12% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 12% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 12% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 12% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 14% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 17% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 20% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 19% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January2.5%2.2%2.1%2.4%
February1.9%2.6%4.5%9.9%
March15%18%22%24%
April24%24%25%25%
May26%25%24%21%
June19%18%17%16%
July18%15%16%15%
August17%18%18%19%
September22%19%18%15%
October13%13%12%9.7%
November6.5%5.0%3.8%3.9%
December3.2%2.6%2.6%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Idaho
  • Oregon: arrives the second week of July, 17 weeks later than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives early July, 16 weeks later than Idaho

Common questions

When do Killdeers arrive in Idaho?
Killdeers are in Idaho all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early March, peak in early May (25% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Killdeers leave Idaho?
Killdeers never fully leave Idaho: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late September, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Killdeer in Idaho?
The Killdeer is reported most often in early May, on about 25% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Killdeers seen most often?
By county, Jerome County, Power County, and Payette County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Killdeer (counties with at least 200 checklists).