WhenToBird

Fregata magnificens · Fregatidae

When Do Magnificent Frigatebirds Arrive in Florida?

Adult Magnificent Frigatebird
Photo: Bill Levine, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Magnificent Frigatebirds reach Florida in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in early May (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byJan 1-7early January

Best: early May. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by early January. Peak: on about 4.8% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.8% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.4% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.3% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.2% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.7% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.3% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.9% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.2% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.4% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.5% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.7% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.3% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.1% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.8% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.1% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.6% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.8% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.4% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.6% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.8% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.2% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.6% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.4% 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. Monroe CountyBest late July · 869 checklists that week, 62,908 in all41%
  2. Manatee CountyBest early May · 1333 checklists that week, 63,443 in all16%
  3. Lee CountyBest the second week of June · 977 checklists that week, 110,404 in all15%
  4. Pinellas CountyBest the second week of June · 1780 checklists that week, 148,901 in all13%
  5. Charlotte CountyBest the second week of June · 454 checklists that week, 40,485 in all13%
  6. Miami-Dade CountyBest late June · 1633 checklists that week, 118,849 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Garden KeyMonroe County, best early March · 39 checklists that week, 1,439 in all99%
  2. Leffis KeyManatee County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 2,515 in all85%
  3. Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical GardenMonroe County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 2,133 in all81%
  4. Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State ParkMonroe County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 3,699 in all79%
  5. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State ParkMiami-Dade County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 2,510 in all75%
  6. Boot Key HarborMonroe County, best mid July · 34 checklists that week, 521 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Magnificent Frigatebird is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (3.1% 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: 2.0% of 94591 checklists7 am: 2.5% of 296183 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 319987 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 254830 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 209480 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 2.9% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 2.9% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 2.6% 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
January2.1%1.6%1.6%1.5%
February1.3%1.6%1.2%1.2%
March1.3%1.4%1.5%2.1%
April2.8%3.4%4.3%5.2%
May4.7%4.3%4.9%4.2%
June4.4%4.5%4.7%4.3%
July4.1%3.8%4.1%3.5%
August4.6%3.0%2.8%3.1%
September3.2%2.1%2.1%2.4%
October2.2%2.7%2.3%2.6%
November2.8%3.2%2.6%2.6%
December2.5%2.6%2.5%2.4%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of May, 8 weeks later than Florida
  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of April, 4 weeks later than Florida

Common questions

When do Magnificent Frigatebirds arrive in Florida?
Magnificent Frigatebirds reach Florida in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in early May (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.
When do Magnificent Frigatebirds leave Florida?
Most Magnificent Frigatebirds have left Florida by early January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Magnificent Frigatebird in Florida?
The Magnificent Frigatebird is reported most often in early May, on about 4.8% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Magnificent Frigatebirds seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Manatee County, and Lee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Magnificent Frigatebird (counties with at least 200 checklists).