WhenToBird

Colinus virginianus · Odontophoridae

When Do Northern Bobwhites Arrive in Kansas?

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

Northern Bobwhites reach Kansas in late March, are common by the second week of May, peak in mid June (17% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 15-21mid June
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: mid June. First arrivals late March; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 17% of Kansas 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%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.7% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.0% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.2% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.5% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.0% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.1% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.5% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.7% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.2% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.1% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.8% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.7% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% 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. Rice CountyBest early July · 11 checklists that week, 572 in all61%
  2. Marion CountyBest early July · 48 checklists that week, 3,168 in all58%
  3. Kiowa CountyBest the second week of June · 29 checklists that week, 1,540 in all58%
  4. Stafford CountyBest late June · 91 checklists that week, 6,839 in all54%
  5. Harper CountyBest late June · 24 checklists that week, 946 in all54%
  6. Jackson CountyBest early July · 30 checklists that week, 2,012 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Greater Flint Hills FeeRiley County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 478 in all67%
  2. Park Smith LakeStafford County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 696 in all66%
  3. Cheney State ParkReno County, best early June · 32 checklists that week, 1,708 in all65%
  4. Cheney State Park (Mount Vernon)Kingman County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 868 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Northern Bobwhite is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 13% of 12550 checklists7 am: 7.3% of 34128 checklists8 am: 5.7% of 45960 checklists9 am: 4.6% of 37806 checklists10 am: 3.8% of 32102 checklists11 am: 3.4% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 2.7% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 3.0% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 3.8% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 5.2% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 8.3% 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
January1.3%1.4%1.2%1.2%
February0.9%0.9%0.8%1.1%
March0.7%1.0%0.8%1.2%
April1.5%2.4%2.7%4.0%
May5.2%6.5%8.0%13%
June16%17%17%17%
July17%15%14%14%
August11%10%8.1%5.5%
September4.0%3.0%2.7%2.2%
October1.5%2.2%2.0%1.9%
November1.6%1.7%2.1%1.8%
December1.9%1.8%1.7%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early April, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks later than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives late April, 4 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Northern Bobwhites arrive in Kansas?
Northern Bobwhites reach Kansas in late March, are common by the second week of May, peak in mid June (17% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Northern Bobwhites leave Kansas?
Most Northern Bobwhites have left Kansas by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid January.
When is the best time to see a Northern Bobwhite in Kansas?
The Northern Bobwhite is reported most often in mid June, on about 17% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Northern Bobwhites seen most often?
By county, Rice County, Marion County, and Kiowa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Bobwhite (counties with at least 200 checklists).