WhenToBird

Setophaga pinus · Parulidae

When Do Pine Warblers Arrive in Missouri?

Adult male Pine Warbler
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pine Warblers are winter birds in Missouri: they arrive in mid February, peak in mid March (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: mid March. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 2.5% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.5% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.3% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.6% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.6% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% 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. Carter CountyBest late March · 57 checklists that week, 1,547 in all65%
  2. Iron CountyBest early March · 81 checklists that week, 4,515 in all51%
  3. Reynolds CountyBest late March · 34 checklists that week, 1,218 in all43%
  4. Howell CountyBest mid March · 34 checklists that week, 2,245 in all32%
  5. Texas CountyBest the second week of June · 17 checklists that week, 1,550 in all32%
  6. Wayne CountyBest mid March · 26 checklists that week, 1,250 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mark Twain National ForestCarter County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 158 in all95%
  2. Mark Twain National Forest (northwest)Callaway County, best the second week of March · 25 checklists that week, 122 in all79%
  3. Hawn State ParkSte. Genevieve County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 168 in all63%
  4. August A Busch Refuge LakeSt. Charles County, best early April · 42 checklists that week, 1,945 in all36%
  5. Burnt House HollowShannon County, best the second week of March · 20 checklists that week, 246 in all36%
  6. McCormack LakeOregon County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 126 in all35%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Pine Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.4% of 27231 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 64162 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 67854 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 56515 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 47496 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 0.8% 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
January0.1%0.2%0.4%0.4%
February0.4%0.3%0.5%1.2%
March1.7%2.8%2.3%2.5%
April2.4%2.5%2.3%2.2%
May1.6%1.2%1.1%1.1%
June1.1%1.1%1.0%0.9%
July0.8%0.4%0.3%0.2%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
September0.6%1.0%1.6%1.8%
October1.7%1.2%0.7%0.5%
November0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.2%0.1%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives early February, 2 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of March, 3 weeks later than Missouri
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of March, 3 weeks later than Missouri
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of December, 9 weeks earlier than Missouri

Common questions

When do Pine Warblers arrive in Missouri?
Pine Warblers are winter birds in Missouri: they arrive in mid February, peak in mid March (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Pine Warblers leave Missouri?
Most Pine Warblers have left Missouri by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Pine Warbler in Missouri?
The Pine Warbler is reported most often in mid March, on about 2.5% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Pine Warblers seen most often?
By county, Carter County, Iron County, and Reynolds County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pine Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).