WhenToBird

Botaurus exilis · Ardeidae

When Do Least Bitterns Arrive in Florida?

Adult Least Bittern
Photo: William J. Deml, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Least Bitterns arrive in Florida in late February, peak in the second week of June (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 2.9% of Florida checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.7% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.7% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.7% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.3% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.0% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.8% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Madison CountyBest the second week of May · 40 checklists that week, 1,783 in all12%
  2. Hendry CountyBest the second week of August · 41 checklists that week, 3,103 in all12%
  3. Palm Beach CountyBest late May · 1905 checklists that week, 118,595 in all10%
  4. Alachua CountyBest late May · 1946 checklists that week, 120,363 in all10%
  5. Wakulla CountyBest the second week of June · 241 checklists that week, 27,521 in all10%
  6. Taylor CountyBest mid June · 31 checklists that week, 1,937 in all9.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Paynes Prairie Preserve State ParkAlachua County, best the second week of June · 193 checklists that week, 12,716 in all68%
  2. Green Cay Nature Center and WetlandsPalm Beach County, best the second week of June · 79 checklists that week, 9,241 in all65%
  3. Winding Waters Natural AreaPalm Beach County, best late April · 33 checklists that week, 950 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Least Bittern is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 3.1% of 94591 checklists7 am: 2.2% of 296183 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 319987 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 254830 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 209480 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January0.7%0.6%0.8%0.7%
February0.7%0.6%0.5%0.6%
March0.8%0.9%1.1%1.3%
April1.5%1.6%1.7%1.8%
May1.9%2.0%2.3%2.7%
June3.2%2.7%2.7%2.4%
July2.7%2.3%2.0%1.8%
August1.5%1.3%1.4%1.0%
September1.0%0.9%0.9%0.8%
October0.7%0.7%0.7%0.9%
November0.9%1.0%0.9%0.9%
December1.0%0.9%0.9%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives mid April, 7 weeks later than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of April, 6 weeks later than Florida
  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of April, 6 weeks later than Florida
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid June, 15 weeks later than Florida

Common questions

When do Least Bitterns arrive in Florida?
Least Bitterns arrive in Florida in late February, peak in the second week of June (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Least Bitterns leave Florida?
Most Least Bitterns have left Florida by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Least Bittern in Florida?
The Least Bittern is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 2.9% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Least Bitterns seen most often?
By county, Madison County, Hendry County, and Palm Beach County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Least Bittern (counties with at least 200 checklists).