WhenToBird

Protonotaria citrea · Parulidae

When Do Prothonotary Warblers Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Prothonotary Warbler
Photo: chloe ⋆˚꩜｡, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Prothonotary Warblers mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in early May, peak in mid May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: mid May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 1.5% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.6% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.2% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saginaw CountyBest mid May · 297 checklists that week, 8,573 in all12%
  2. Gratiot CountyBest late June · 126 checklists that week, 5,892 in all9.8%
  3. Ionia CountyBest the second week of June · 84 checklists that week, 5,509 in all9.6%
  4. Clinton CountyBest mid June · 167 checklists that week, 10,597 in all8.5%
  5. Van Buren CountyBest the second week of May · 590 checklists that week, 14,183 in all7.0%
  6. Berrien CountyBest mid May · 2393 checklists that week, 54,650 in all5.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Baldwin ParkIngham County, best the second week of May · 30 checklists that week, 180 in all84%
  2. Lemon Creek (Love Creek)Berrien County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 434 in all68%
  3. Babcock LandingClinton County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 666 in all50%
  4. Burns-Stokes PreserveWashtenaw County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 327 in all49%
  5. Sarett Nature Center (Blue Creek)Berrien County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 859 in all47%
  6. Eastmanville BayouOttawa County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 151 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Prothonotary Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 1.0% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.2%
May1.1%1.6%1.7%1.2%
June1.1%1.2%1.0%0.8%
July0.5%0.3%0.2%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid April, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of April, 3 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid April, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives early May, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Prothonotary Warblers arrive in Michigan?
Prothonotary Warblers mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in early May, peak in mid May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Prothonotary Warblers leave Michigan?
Most Prothonotary Warblers have left Michigan by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Prothonotary Warbler in Michigan?
The Prothonotary Warbler is reported most often in mid May, on about 1.5% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Prothonotary Warblers seen most often?
By county, Saginaw County, Gratiot County, and Ionia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Prothonotary Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).