WhenToBird

Ictinia mississippiensis · Accipitridae

When Do Mississippi Kites Arrive in Oklahoma?

Adult Mississippi Kite
Photo: Laura Mae, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Mississippi Kites reach Oklahoma in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in mid August (39% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: mid August. First arrivals late April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 39% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 23% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 24% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 24% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 30% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 32% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 32% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 33% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 34% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 36% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 39% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 40% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 38% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 25% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.1% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.0% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ellis CountyBest late June · 11 checklists that week, 357 in all71%
  2. Custer CountyBest the second week of August · 41 checklists that week, 2,696 in all67%
  3. Woods CountyBest the second week of August · 12 checklists that week, 1,004 in all64%
  4. Grady CountyBest early July · 23 checklists that week, 1,226 in all62%
  5. Garfield CountyBest the second week of July · 64 checklists that week, 3,534 in all62%
  6. Stephens CountyBest late August · 16 checklists that week, 945 in all61%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake HefnerOklahoma County, best mid August · 63 checklists that week, 2,749 in all77%
  2. Boomer Lake ParkPayne County, best mid August · 76 checklists that week, 3,723 in all75%
  3. Stars & Stripes ParkOklahoma County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 1,039 in all71%
  4. Martin Park Nature CenterOklahoma County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 1,168 in all66%
  5. Upper Bayou Site 10 ReservoirCarter County, best the second week of August · 29 checklists that week, 1,672 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Mississippi Kite is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 21% of 8353 checklists7 am: 11% of 24509 checklists8 am: 9.6% of 27848 checklists9 am: 9.7% of 25316 checklists10 am: 9.0% of 21161 checklists11 am: 9.1% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 7.9% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 7.2% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 6.8% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 6.8% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 7.4% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 9.0% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 12% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 15% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%2.9%
May15%25%25%23%
June22%24%24%30%
July32%32%33%34%
August36%39%40%38%
September25%15%7.1%2.0%
October0.2%0.1%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early May, 1 week later than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives early May, 1 week later than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives mid May, 3 weeks later than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Mississippi Kites arrive in Oklahoma?
Mississippi Kites reach Oklahoma in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in mid August (39% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Mississippi Kites leave Oklahoma?
Most Mississippi Kites have left Oklahoma by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late September.
When is the best time to see a Mississippi Kite in Oklahoma?
The Mississippi Kite is reported most often in mid August, on about 39% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Mississippi Kites seen most often?
By county, Ellis County, Custer County, and Woods County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mississippi Kite (counties with at least 200 checklists).