WhenToBird

Charadrius vociferus · Charadriidae

When Do Killdeers Arrive in Washington?

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

Killdeers are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early July, peak in early September (20% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (mid December) they are still on about 5.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 1-7early July
PeakSep 1-7early September
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestDec 15-21mid December

Best: early September. Here all year; numbers build from early July and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 20% of Washington checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.9% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.2% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.9% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.7% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.7% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.2% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.7% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 20% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.7% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.8% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.6% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.3% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.3% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.6% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest early June · 206 checklists that week, 4,574 in all58%
  2. Grant CountyBest the second week of August · 345 checklists that week, 19,963 in all54%
  3. Asotin CountyBest the second week of August · 60 checklists that week, 4,316 in all48%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of May · 278 checklists that week, 6,135 in all43%
  5. Walla Walla CountyBest the second week of May · 1154 checklists that week, 35,829 in all40%
  6. Douglas CountyBest late August · 180 checklists that week, 9,418 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saltese Flats Wetland Area (west)Spokane County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 1,083 in all98%
  2. Eloika LakeSpokane County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 497 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Killdeer is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 19% of 56744 checklists7 am: 15% of 133294 checklists8 am: 14% of 184196 checklists9 am: 13% of 186303 checklists10 am: 13% of 177063 checklists11 am: 12% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 11% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 11% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 11% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 11% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 12% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 13% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 14% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January5.9%5.2%5.9%5.7%
February5.7%7.2%6.7%10%
March11%12%14%14%
April14%14%15%16%
May17%17%16%16%
June14%12%12%12%
July12%14%14%15%
August16%18%18%20%
September20%20%18%18%
October16%14%14%12%
November8.7%8.8%8.1%6.6%
December6.3%5.3%5.0%5.6%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives early March, 16 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives late February, 17 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks early September

Common questions

When do Killdeers arrive in Washington?
Killdeers are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early July, peak in early September (20% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (mid December) they are still on about 5.4% of checklists.
When do Killdeers leave Washington?
Killdeers never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Killdeer in Washington?
The Killdeer is reported most often in early September, on about 20% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Killdeers seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Grant County, and Asotin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Killdeer (counties with at least 200 checklists).