WhenToBird

Mimus polyglottos · Mimidae

When Do Northern Mockingbirds Arrive in Missouri?

Adult Northern Mockingbird
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Mockingbirds are in Missouri all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in early July (17% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 6.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakJul 1-7early July
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: early July. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 17% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 11% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.9% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.4% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 16% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.6% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.0% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.7% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.6% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.3% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.0% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.5% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.1% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.4% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.2% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 10% of 13142 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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ripley CountyBest the second week of July · 11 checklists that week, 1,058 in all61%
  2. Scott CountyBest the second week of June · 49 checklists that week, 1,887 in all54%
  3. Barton CountyBest late June · 22 checklists that week, 1,629 in all47%
  4. Butler CountyBest mid October · 33 checklists that week, 1,129 in all46%
  5. New Madrid CountyBest late June · 14 checklists that week, 1,138 in all45%
  6. Bates CountyBest early July · 23 checklists that week, 546 in all44%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Legacy (southeast)Jackson County, best early August · 22 checklists that week, 466 in all91%
  2. Mdc Nature Center/ North CountyCape Girardeau County, best late June · 33 checklists that week, 1,627 in all86%
  3. Jefferson Barracks County ParkSt. Louis County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 1,157 in all84%
  4. Mississippi Greenway - River des Peres to Jefferson BarracksSt. Louis County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 419 in all79%
  5. Perry Phillips LakeBoone County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 981 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Northern Mockingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 19% of 27231 checklists7 am: 14% of 64162 checklists8 am: 12% of 67854 checklists9 am: 12% of 56515 checklists10 am: 11% of 47496 checklists11 am: 9.9% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 10% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 9.9% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 9.8% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 10% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 10% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 12% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 11% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January11%10%9.9%11%
February10%11%9.4%11%
March10%12%11%13%
April13%13%13%12%
May13%13%14%15%
June16%16%16%17%
July16%16%17%14%
August12%10%8.6%7.0%
September5.7%6.6%6.3%9.0%
October11%12%12%11%
November10%9.5%9.1%9.4%
December9.2%10%10%10%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early July
  • Kansas: arrives late April, 5 weeks later than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 24 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Indiana: arrives late March, 1 week later than Missouri

Common questions

When do Northern Mockingbirds arrive in Missouri?
Northern Mockingbirds are in Missouri all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in early July (17% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 6.2% of checklists.
When do Northern Mockingbirds leave Missouri?
Northern Mockingbirds never fully leave Missouri: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern Mockingbird in Missouri?
The Northern Mockingbird is reported most often in early July, on about 17% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Northern Mockingbirds seen most often?
By county, Ripley County, Scott County, and Barton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Mockingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).