WhenToBird

Lanius ludovicianus · Laniidae

When Do Loggerhead Shrikes Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Loggerhead Shrike
Photo: Mark Connolly, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Loggerhead Shrikes reach Kansas in late February, are common by early March, peak in late August (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: late August. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 2.0% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.9% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.7% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.7% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.2% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.9% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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. Greeley CountyBest mid August · 21 checklists that week, 329 in all40%
  2. Hamilton CountyBest mid August · 20 checklists that week, 655 in all31%
  3. Meade CountyBest mid August · 51 checklists that week, 892 in all22%
  4. Anderson CountyBest the second week of June · 17 checklists that week, 701 in all21%
  5. Clark CountyBest early September · 21 checklists that week, 697 in all20%
  6. Chautauqua CountyBest the second week of July · 11 checklists that week, 723 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chalk Bluffs FeeLogan County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 194 in all34%
  2. Cimarron National GrasslandMorton County, best early September · 39 checklists that week, 495 in all28%
  3. Cimarron National Grassland (East Headquarters Pasture)Morton County, best early September · 23 checklists that week, 262 in all23%
  4. Cimarron National Grassland (east)Morton County, best early May · 34 checklists that week, 321 in all17%
  5. Shawnee State Fishing LakeShawnee County, best late January · 32 checklists that week, 882 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Loggerhead Shrike is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.7% of 12550 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 34128 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 45960 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 37806 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 32102 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.8% 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%0.5%0.6%0.8%
February0.7%0.5%0.4%0.7%
March0.8%0.9%1.2%1.2%
April1.2%1.9%2.0%1.5%
May1.0%0.6%0.5%0.7%
June0.8%0.8%1.0%0.5%
July0.7%0.6%0.6%0.5%
August1.1%1.7%1.7%2.2%
September1.9%1.3%1.1%0.9%
October0.7%0.8%0.8%0.6%
November0.7%1.0%0.6%0.6%
December0.8%1.3%1.1%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of April, 6 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early August, 21 weeks later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives late September, 20 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives early August, 21 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Loggerhead Shrikes arrive in Kansas?
Loggerhead Shrikes reach Kansas in late February, are common by early March, peak in late August (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Loggerhead Shrikes leave Kansas?
Most Loggerhead Shrikes have left Kansas by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Loggerhead Shrike in Kansas?
The Loggerhead Shrike is reported most often in late August, on about 2.0% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Loggerhead Shrikes seen most often?
By county, Greeley County, Hamilton County, and Meade County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Loggerhead Shrike (counties with at least 200 checklists).