WhenToBird

Agelaius phoeniceus · Icteridae

When Do Red-winged Blackbirds Arrive in Illinois?

Adult male Red-winged Blackbird
Photo: infiniteuniverse, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Red-winged Blackbirds are in Illinois all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in mid May (65% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 22-28late February
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: mid May. Here all year; numbers build from late February and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 65% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.3% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.7% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.9% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.4% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 12% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 36% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 53% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 58% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 59% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 61% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 62% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 64% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 64% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 65% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 63% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 63% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 65% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 66% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 61% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 62% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 62% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 61% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 63% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 61% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 57% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 52% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 43% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 34% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 26% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 18% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 19% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 30% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 24% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.7% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.4% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.6% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.4% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Greene CountyBest the second week of June · 40 checklists that week, 329 in all92%
  2. Putnam CountyBest mid April · 55 checklists that week, 3,333 in all89%
  3. Scott CountyBest early July · 20 checklists that week, 320 in all88%
  4. Ford CountyBest early June · 14 checklists that week, 762 in all86%
  5. Stark CountyBest mid June · 14 checklists that week, 574 in all86%
  6. Grundy CountyBest early June · 93 checklists that week, 5,050 in all85%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jelke Creek Bird SanctuaryKane County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 633 in all100%
  2. Bartel Grassland Land and Water ReserveCook County, best mid July · 23 checklists that week, 1,224 in all100%
  3. Campbell Slough County Forest PreserveDuPage County, best early July · 25 checklists that week, 682 in all100%
  4. Danada SwampDuPage County, best the second week of June · 25 checklists that week, 1,307 in all100%
  5. Bensenville Ditch Forest PreserveDuPage County, best mid May · 26 checklists that week, 1,826 in all100%
  6. Paul Douglas PreserveCook County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 653 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Red-winged Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (49% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 52% of 95511 checklists7 am: 47% of 164584 checklists8 am: 43% of 163654 checklists9 am: 40% of 141804 checklists10 am: 36% of 122882 checklists11 am: 34% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 32% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 31% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 32% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 33% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 39% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 46% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 46% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January3.5%3.3%3.7%3.9%
February6.4%12%19%36%
March53%58%59%61%
April62%64%64%65%
May63%63%65%66%
June61%62%62%61%
July63%61%57%52%
August43%34%26%18%
September14%13%14%19%
October25%30%30%29%
November24%16%9.7%6.4%
December4.6%3.4%3.9%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives late February, in the same week than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of February, 2 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Illinois

Common questions

When do Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in Illinois?
Red-winged Blackbirds are in Illinois all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in mid May (65% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.
When do Red-winged Blackbirds leave Illinois?
Red-winged Blackbirds never fully leave Illinois: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-winged Blackbird in Illinois?
The Red-winged Blackbird is reported most often in mid May, on about 65% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Red-winged Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Greene County, Putnam County, and Scott County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-winged Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).