WhenToBird

Cistothorus palustris · Troglodytidae

When Do Marsh Wrens Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Marsh Wren
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Marsh Wrens are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in early September, peak in the second week of October (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by the second week of January. Peak: on about 3.0% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.0% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.0% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.4% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.4% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% 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. Pratt CountyBest the second week of December · 52 checklists that week, 1,637 in all20%
  2. Scott CountyBest the second week of November · 10 checklists that week, 1,780 in all19%
  3. Barton CountyBest early December · 15 checklists that week, 4,391 in all17%
  4. Clark CountyBest early December · 15 checklists that week, 697 in all17%
  5. Hamilton CountyBest late October · 22 checklists that week, 655 in all15%
  6. Neosho CountyBest the second week of October · 41 checklists that week, 2,366 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clinton Recreation Area (southeast)Douglas County, best late September · 41 checklists that week, 714 in all63%
  2. Baker University Wetlands (south)Douglas County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 1,405 in all35%
  3. Baker University WetlandsDouglas County, best the second week of May · 65 checklists that week, 1,611 in all33%
  4. Pratt County Lake (west)Pratt County, best the second week of December · 34 checklists that week, 191 in all32%
  5. Kcpl WetlandJohnson County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 2,237 in all30%
  6. Scott State ParkScott County, best mid November · 21 checklists that week, 519 in all26%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Marsh Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.7% of 12550 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 34128 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 45960 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 37806 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.6% 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
January0.6%0.3%0.3%0.3%
February0.5%0.2%0.2%0.3%
March0.2%0.5%0.5%0.6%
April0.5%0.7%0.9%1.5%
May1.9%1.4%0.8%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.3%0.3%0.2%0.3%
September0.3%0.7%0.6%2.0%
October3.0%3.4%2.4%2.0%
November1.6%1.4%1.2%1.0%
December1.0%0.7%0.7%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives mid April, 18 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late September, 3 weeks later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early September, in the same week than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid September, 2 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Marsh Wrens arrive in Kansas?
Marsh Wrens are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in early September, peak in the second week of October (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.
When do Marsh Wrens leave Kansas?
Most Marsh Wrens have left Kansas by the second week of January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Marsh Wren in Kansas?
The Marsh Wren is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 3.0% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Marsh Wrens seen most often?
By county, Pratt County, Scott County, and Barton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Marsh Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).