WhenToBird

Charadrius vociferus · Charadriidae

When Do Killdeers Arrive in Ohio?

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

Killdeers reach Ohio in the second week of February, are common by late February, peak in mid August (29% 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
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: mid August. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 29% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Janrare
  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: 1.1% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.5% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 23% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 28% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 27% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 27% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 25% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 24% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 26% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 23% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 26% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 26% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 26% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 26% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 29% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 29% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 26% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 29% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 26% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 27% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 24% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 19% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.9% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.1% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.4% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.8% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.1% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer CountyBest the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 2,091 in all70%
  2. Putnam CountyBest early March · 22 checklists that week, 927 in all65%
  3. Wyandot CountyBest early August · 76 checklists that week, 6,235 in all64%
  4. Defiance CountyBest late September · 31 checklists that week, 1,801 in all64%
  5. Preble CountyBest the second week of September · 182 checklists that week, 8,090 in all59%
  6. Pickaway CountyBest the second week of September · 128 checklists that week, 6,348 in all59%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. West Branch State ParkPortage County, best the second week of August · 39 checklists that week, 393 in all100%
  2. Conneaut HarborAshtabula County, best late June · 32 checklists that week, 1,284 in all100%
  3. Retention PondWilliams County, best late September · 25 checklists that week, 430 in all100%
  4. Evans ParkLicking County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 838 in all98%
  5. Mohicanville ReservoirWayne County, best the second week of July · 74 checklists that week, 4,208 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Killdeer is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (25% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 28% of 43093 checklists7 am: 24% of 142017 checklists8 am: 21% of 205296 checklists9 am: 20% of 196322 checklists10 am: 18% of 170882 checklists11 am: 17% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 16% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 16% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 16% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 16% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 18% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 22% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 25% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 23% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January1.1%1.2%1.1%0.9%
February1.6%3.3%6.5%18%
March23%28%27%27%
April25%24%25%25%
May24%26%25%24%
June23%22%23%24%
July26%26%26%26%
August28%29%29%29%
September28%26%29%26%
October27%24%21%19%
November13%9.9%6.1%4.4%
December3.8%2.1%1.8%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives early February, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives mid February, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks early September

Common questions

When do Killdeers arrive in Ohio?
Killdeers reach Ohio in the second week of February, are common by late February, peak in mid August (29% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Killdeers leave Ohio?
Most Killdeers have left Ohio 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 Ohio?
The Killdeer is reported most often in mid August, on about 29% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Killdeers seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Putnam County, and Wyandot County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Killdeer (counties with at least 200 checklists).