WhenToBird

Mimus polyglottos · Mimidae

When Do Northern Mockingbirds Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

The Northern Mockingbird is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (mid June) and on 17% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJun 15-21mid June
Quietest weekSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: mid June. Here all year. Peak: on about 39% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  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%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 18% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 19% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 19% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 20% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 20% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 18% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 17% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 22% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 28% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 28% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 28% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 30% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 31% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 34% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 35% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 37% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 40% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 38% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 39% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 39% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 38% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 35% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 32% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 26% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 24% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 25% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 19% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 23% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 20% 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. Adair CountyBest mid June · 17 checklists that week, 616 in all89%
  2. Garvin CountyBest late July · 19 checklists that week, 521 in all79%
  3. Stephens CountyBest the second week of June · 15 checklists that week, 945 in all77%
  4. McClain CountyBest late June · 12 checklists that week, 1,112 in all74%
  5. Washita CountyBest late June · 13 checklists that week, 404 in all69%
  6. Choctaw CountyBest late March · 21 checklists that week, 844 in all67%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spring Creek ParkOklahoma County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 749 in all86%
  2. Woodward ParkTulsa County, best mid May · 34 checklists that week, 458 in all83%
  3. CLO LandsPayne County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 1,208 in all81%
  4. Joe B. Barnes Regional ParkOklahoma County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 186 in all80%
  5. Lincoln ParkOklahoma County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 818 in all77%
  6. Boomer Lake ParkPayne County, best the second week of June · 60 checklists that week, 3,723 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Northern Mockingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (36% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 41% of 8353 checklists7 am: 35% of 24509 checklists8 am: 30% of 27848 checklists9 am: 27% of 25316 checklists10 am: 26% of 21161 checklists11 am: 24% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 22% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 21% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 21% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 21% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 19% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 20% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 24% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 27% 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
January18%19%19%20%
February20%18%17%20%
March22%24%22%28%
April28%28%30%31%
May34%35%37%37%
June37%40%38%39%
July39%38%35%32%
August26%23%19%20%
September16%18%17%22%
October25%24%25%21%
November20%20%19%19%
December19%20%23%20%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: all year, most in summer, peaks the second week of June
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early July
  • Missouri: all year, most in spring, peaks early July
  • Nebraska: summer visitor, peaks late June

Common questions

When do Northern Mockingbirds arrive in Oklahoma?
The Northern Mockingbird is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (mid June) and on 17% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do Northern Mockingbirds leave Oklahoma?
The Northern Mockingbird does not leave Oklahoma: it is reported all year, from 17% of checklists in the second week of September to 39% in mid June.
When is the best time to see a Northern Mockingbird in Oklahoma?
The Northern Mockingbird is reported most often in mid June, on about 39% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Northern Mockingbirds seen most often?
By county, Adair County, Garvin County, and Stephens County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Mockingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).