WhenToBird

Charadrius vociferus · Charadriidae

When Do Killdeers Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Killdeers are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late July, peak in mid October (24% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 6.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 22-31late July
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Fall back byNov 15-21mid November
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: mid October. Here all year; numbers build from late July and fall back by mid November. Peak: on about 24% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 7.6% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.0% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.8% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.8% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.9% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.6% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.2% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 19% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 18% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 19% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 15% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 18% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 21% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 22% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 26% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 24% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 19% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 14% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.6% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tillman CountyBest mid July · 18 checklists that week, 1,199 in all69%
  2. Washita CountyBest the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 404 in all60%
  3. Beaver CountyBest late July · 13 checklists that week, 838 in all58%
  4. Grant CountyBest the second week of March · 15 checklists that week, 307 in all57%
  5. McClain CountyBest late August · 14 checklists that week, 1,112 in all53%
  6. Kiowa CountyBest late May · 25 checklists that week, 354 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Hefner (NW Oklahoma City Sludge Lagoon)Oklahoma County, best late July · 34 checklists that week, 295 in all95%
  2. CLO LandsPayne County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 1,208 in all89%
  3. Salt Plains National Wildlife RefugeAlfalfa County, best early April · 23 checklists that week, 407 in all85%
  4. Edmond ParkOklahoma County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 792 in all84%
  5. Drummond Flats Wildlife Management AreaGarfield County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 523 in all82%
  6. Lake Hefner (Lansbrook Lake)Oklahoma County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 743 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Killdeer is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (20% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 19% of 8353 checklists7 am: 20% of 24509 checklists8 am: 18% of 27848 checklists9 am: 16% of 25316 checklists10 am: 14% of 21161 checklists11 am: 15% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 12% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 14% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 14% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 14% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 14% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 15% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 16% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 15% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January7.6%7.0%5.8%6.8%
February8.9%7.6%8.2%14%
March19%19%19%18%
April17%18%19%17%
May14%15%16%16%
June15%14%15%17%
July15%15%13%17%
August17%17%18%18%
September21%21%22%23%
October22%23%26%24%
November20%19%17%14%
December12%14%11%7.6%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of February, 22 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives early August, 1 week later than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives early February, 23 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives late February, 20 weeks earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Killdeers arrive in Oklahoma?
Killdeers are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late July, peak in mid October (24% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 6.6% of checklists.
When do Killdeers leave Oklahoma?
Killdeers never fully leave Oklahoma: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid November, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Killdeer in Oklahoma?
The Killdeer is reported most often in mid October, on about 24% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Killdeers seen most often?
By county, Tillman County, Washita County, and Beaver County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Killdeer (counties with at least 200 checklists).