WhenToBird

Agelaius phoeniceus · Icteridae

When Do Red-winged Blackbirds Arrive in Michigan?

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

Red-winged Blackbirds reach Michigan in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in early May (68% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: early May. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 68% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.8% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 26% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 43% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 52% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 57% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 60% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 62% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 64% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 66% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 69% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 69% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 67% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 64% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 61% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 59% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 58% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 56% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 56% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 54% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 50% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 47% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 41% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 31% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 23% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 27% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 19% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.7% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bay CountyBest early June · 432 checklists that week, 16,522 in all86%
  2. Clinton CountyBest early June · 186 checklists that week, 10,597 in all85%
  3. Lapeer CountyBest late April · 985 checklists that week, 22,489 in all85%
  4. Ionia CountyBest early May · 229 checklists that week, 5,509 in all84%
  5. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of April · 153 checklists that week, 5,892 in all83%
  6. Mecosta CountyBest the second week of May · 423 checklists that week, 11,248 in all83%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kilburn ParkWashtenaw County, best late May · 30 checklists that week, 463 in all100%
  2. Esler LakeOakland County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 420 in all100%
  3. East Paris Nature ParkKent County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 437 in all100%
  4. Watkins LakeJackson County, best late May · 32 checklists that week, 2,334 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Red-winged Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (50% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 57% of 39298 checklists7 am: 48% of 120344 checklists8 am: 41% of 180109 checklists9 am: 39% of 171966 checklists10 am: 36% of 156332 checklists11 am: 33% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 31% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 30% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 29% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 30% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 33% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 42% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 48% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 50% 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
January0.8%0.8%0.8%0.7%
February1.0%4.0%8.8%26%
March43%52%57%60%
April62%64%66%69%
May69%67%64%61%
June59%58%56%56%
July54%50%47%41%
August31%24%19%17%
September14%14%15%17%
October23%26%28%27%
November19%11%4.7%2.1%
December1.3%1.0%0.9%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives early February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid February, 1 week later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in Michigan?
Red-winged Blackbirds reach Michigan in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in early May (68% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Red-winged Blackbirds leave Michigan?
Most Red-winged Blackbirds have left Michigan by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid November.
When is the best time to see a Red-winged Blackbird in Michigan?
The Red-winged Blackbird is reported most often in early May, on about 68% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Red-winged Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Bay County, Clinton County, and Lapeer County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-winged Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).