WhenToBird

Agelaius phoeniceus · Icteridae

When Do Red-winged Blackbirds Arrive in Ohio?

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

Red-winged Blackbirds reach Ohio in early February, are common by late February, peak in the second week of May (66% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 1-7early February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals early February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 66% of Ohio 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: 2.7% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.1% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.4% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 39% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 50% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 55% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 55% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 59% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 62% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 64% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 64% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 65% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 65% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 67% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 66% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 64% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 63% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 63% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 62% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 60% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 58% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 56% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 51% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 43% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 33% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 21% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 35% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 34% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 32% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.3% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.5% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ottawa CountyBest the second week of June · 476 checklists that week, 51,024 in all87%
  2. Union CountyBest early June · 302 checklists that week, 12,023 in all86%
  3. Hardin CountyBest early June · 117 checklists that week, 4,583 in all85%
  4. Wyandot CountyBest early June · 81 checklists that week, 6,235 in all85%
  5. Logan CountyBest early July · 189 checklists that week, 10,014 in all84%
  6. Madison CountyBest the second week of June · 85 checklists that week, 5,206 in all82%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand River Wildlife AreaTrumbull County, best early April · 32 checklists that week, 1,401 in all100%
  2. Hoover Community Rec ComplexStark County, best early June · 35 checklists that week, 1,912 in all100%
  3. Moxley MarshErie County, best mid June · 25 checklists that week, 1,523 in all100%
  4. Bay View ParkLucas County, best the second week of June · 22 checklists that week, 2,061 in all100%
  5. South Russell Village ParkGeauga County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 291 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Red-winged Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (53% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 61% of 43093 checklists7 am: 51% of 142017 checklists8 am: 44% of 205296 checklists9 am: 40% of 196322 checklists10 am: 37% of 170882 checklists11 am: 33% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 32% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 32% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 32% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 33% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 36% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 45% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 48% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 47% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January2.7%3.1%3.2%3.4%
February5.0%11%19%39%
March50%55%55%59%
April62%64%64%65%
May65%67%66%64%
June63%63%62%60%
July58%56%51%43%
August33%25%20%17%
September16%15%17%21%
October30%35%34%32%
November25%17%9.3%5.8%
December4.0%3.1%3.5%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives early February, in the same week than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late February, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of February, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives late February, 3 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in Ohio?
Red-winged Blackbirds reach Ohio in early February, are common by late February, peak in the second week of May (66% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Red-winged Blackbirds leave Ohio?
Most Red-winged Blackbirds have left Ohio by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Red-winged Blackbird in Ohio?
The Red-winged Blackbird is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 66% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Red-winged Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Ottawa County, Union County, and Hardin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-winged Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).