WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult Pied-billed Grebe
Photo: Rodrigo Paiva Lázaro, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pied-billed Grebes reach Wisconsin in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of April (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 14% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.4% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.4% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.7% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.8% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.3% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.1% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.3% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.8% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.0% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.4% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.4% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.9% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.5% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.0% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.6% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.9% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.3% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.8% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.2% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.7% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.0% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.3% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.6% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Burnett CountyBest late September · 121 checklists that week, 11,034 in all39%
  2. Dodge CountyBest late August · 811 checklists that week, 34,980 in all37%
  3. Monroe CountyBest the second week of April · 110 checklists that week, 3,836 in all37%
  4. Shawano CountyBest mid October · 29 checklists that week, 3,900 in all31%
  5. Marquette CountyBest mid October · 55 checklists that week, 3,706 in all28%
  6. Columbia CountyBest mid August · 195 checklists that week, 15,761 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Schoeneberg MarshColumbia County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 619 in all95%
  2. Lake WingraDane County, best late October · 34 checklists that week, 650 in all90%
  3. Sandy Beach ParkJefferson County, best late October · 28 checklists that week, 317 in all89%
  4. Horicon National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Dodge County, best late September · 30 checklists that week, 2,074 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (6.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 3.7% of 27016 checklists6 am: 4.4% of 83973 checklists7 am: 4.6% of 160717 checklists8 am: 4.8% of 160531 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 136968 checklists10 am: 5.1% of 119110 checklists11 am: 4.9% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 5.1% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 5.1% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 5.0% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 6.3% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.5%1.2%2.4%6.4%
April12%14%15%12%
May6.7%3.8%3.1%3.3%
June3.2%2.8%2.9%2.6%
July3.1%3.3%3.8%4.0%
August4.4%5.4%5.9%5.5%
September6.0%6.6%7.9%8.3%
October8.8%9.2%10%9.7%
November7.0%4.3%2.6%1.7%
December0.6%0.4%0.2%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late February, 2 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in Wisconsin?
Pied-billed Grebes reach Wisconsin in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of April (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave Wisconsin?
Most Pied-billed Grebes have left Wisconsin by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in Wisconsin?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 14% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Burnett County, Dodge County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).