WhenToBird

Charadrius vociferus · Charadriidae

When Do Killdeers Arrive in Kansas?

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

Killdeers are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by late February, peak in mid March (28% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: mid March. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 28% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.3% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 24% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 26% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 27% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 28% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 28% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 24% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 23% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 24% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 25% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 24% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 27% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 26% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 23% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 24% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 22% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 22% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.4% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% 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. Rooks CountyBest the second week of August · 12 checklists that week, 514 in all71%
  2. Stafford CountyBest mid June · 125 checklists that week, 6,839 in all66%
  3. Brown CountyBest early August · 21 checklists that week, 2,536 in all65%
  4. Harper CountyBest the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 946 in all65%
  5. Stevens CountyBest early September · 25 checklists that week, 451 in all63%
  6. Sheridan CountyBest late April · 12 checklists that week, 254 in all61%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warnock LakeAtchison County, best the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 647 in all97%
  2. Clinton LakeDouglas County, best mid July · 36 checklists that week, 1,461 in all96%
  3. Cheney State ParkReno County, best early July · 26 checklists that week, 1,708 in all93%
  4. Clear Creek LakeAtchison County, best the second week of September · 24 checklists that week, 615 in all93%
  5. Neosho Wildlife AreaNeosho County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 676 in all91%
  6. Hillsdale Recreation AreaMiami County, best early August · 24 checklists that week, 505 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Killdeer is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 23% of 12550 checklists7 am: 21% of 34128 checklists8 am: 22% of 45960 checklists9 am: 20% of 37806 checklists10 am: 18% of 32102 checklists11 am: 16% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 15% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 15% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 15% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 15% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 16% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 20% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 23% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 23% 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
January0.9%0.6%0.6%0.4%
February1.0%2.2%5.3%13%
March24%26%30%27%
April26%28%28%25%
May23%21%23%25%
June24%23%24%24%
July25%24%25%27%
August26%26%24%24%
September23%22%23%23%
October24%22%22%20%
November15%12%8.1%4.4%
December4.3%2.5%2.0%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late July, 22 weeks later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early February, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives early August, 23 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Killdeers arrive in Kansas?
Killdeers are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by late February, peak in mid March (28% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Killdeers leave Kansas?
Most Killdeers have left Kansas by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Killdeer in Kansas?
The Killdeer is reported most often in mid March, on about 28% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Killdeers seen most often?
By county, Rooks County, Stafford County, and Brown County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Killdeer (counties with at least 200 checklists).