Palm Warblers mostly pass through South Dakota: they arrive in late April, peak in the second week of May (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When to look
First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May
Best: the second week of May. First arrivals late April; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 3.6% of South Dakota checklists.
Jannot usually seen
Febnot usually seen
Marnot usually seen
Aprcommon
Maypeak season
Junnot usually seen
Julnot usually seen
Augnot usually seen
Seprare
Octrare
Novnot usually seen
Decnot usually seen
Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.
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 South Dakota 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
0%few checklistsno data
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.
Codington CountyBest early May · 63 checklists that week, 1,303 in all13%
Hyde CountyBest the second week of May · 13 checklists that week, 241 in all12%
Brookings CountyBest the second week of May · 306 checklists that week, 6,431 in all10%
Stanley CountyBest early May · 88 checklists that week, 2,615 in all9.3%
Day CountyBest early May · 30 checklists that week, 794 in all8.8%
Edmunds CountyBest the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 466 in all8.1%
Best spots
Share of checklists at the peak
Bramble ParkCodington County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 280 in all30%
Dakota Nature ParkBrookings County, best the second week of May · 80 checklists that week, 1,079 in all20%
SertomaMinnehaha County, best early May · 52 checklists that week, 764 in all14%
Adams Nature AreaUnion County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 327 in all14%
Moccasin Creek ComplexBrown County, best the second week of May · 38 checklists that week, 209 in all13%
Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.
Best time of day
In South Dakota, the Palm Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (0.7% of those checklists).
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
Month
Days 1-7
8-14
15-21
22-end
January
0%
0%
0%
0%
February
0%
0%
0%
0%
March
0%
0%
0%
0%
April
0%
0%
0%
1.0%
May
4.8%
4.6%
1.4%
0.2%
June
0.1%
0%
0%
0%
July
0%
0%
0%
0%
August
0%
0%
0%
0%
September
0.1%
0.4%
0.2%
0.4%
October
0.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
November
0%
0%
0%
0%
December
0%
0%
0%
0%
Neighboring states
Nebraska: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than South Dakota
North Dakota: arrives late April, in the same week than South Dakota
Minnesota: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than South Dakota
Iowa: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than South Dakota
Common questions
When do Palm Warblers arrive in South Dakota?
Palm Warblers mostly pass through South Dakota: they arrive in late April, peak in the second week of May (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Palm Warblers leave South Dakota?
Most Palm Warblers have left South Dakota by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Palm Warbler in South Dakota?
The Palm Warbler is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 3.6% of South Dakota checklists.
Where in South Dakota are Palm Warblers seen most often?
By county, Codington County, Hyde County, and Brookings County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Palm Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).
