WhenToBird

Colinus virginianus · Odontophoridae

When Do Northern Bobwhites Arrive in Illinois?

Adult male Northern Bobwhite
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Bobwhites arrive in Illinois in the second week of May, peak in late June (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: late June. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 2.2% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.1% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.7% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.7% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 29011 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 Illinois 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Greene CountyBest the second week of June · 40 checklists that week, 329 in all63%
  2. Edwards CountyBest the second week of June · 11 checklists that week, 797 in all57%
  3. Crawford CountyBest late May · 30 checklists that week, 804 in all57%
  4. Cass CountyBest mid June · 41 checklists that week, 1,262 in all52%
  5. Calhoun CountyBest mid June · 29 checklists that week, 786 in all52%
  6. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of July · 14 checklists that week, 619 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife AreaCass County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 174 in all73%
  2. Sand LakeMason County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 301 in all72%
  3. Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge (north)Fulton County, best the second week of June · 31 checklists that week, 628 in all40%
  4. Iroquois County State Fish and Wildlife AreaIroquois County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 122 in all36%
  5. South Greenbelt Preserve (northeast)Cook County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 187 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Northern Bobwhite is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 95511 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 164584 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 163654 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 141804 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 122882 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
April0.2%0.3%0.4%0.6%
May0.8%0.8%1.0%1.5%
June1.6%2.0%2.2%2.1%
July2.4%2.1%1.7%1.7%
August1.7%1.1%1.1%0.8%
September0.4%0.4%0.3%0.3%
October0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
November0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives mid April, 3 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Illinois
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of April, 4 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, 3 weeks earlier than Illinois

Common questions

When do Northern Bobwhites arrive in Illinois?
Northern Bobwhites arrive in Illinois in the second week of May, peak in late June (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Northern Bobwhites leave Illinois?
Most Northern Bobwhites have left Illinois by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Bobwhite in Illinois?
The Northern Bobwhite is reported most often in late June, on about 2.2% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Northern Bobwhites seen most often?
By county, Greene County, Edwards County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Bobwhite (counties with at least 200 checklists).