WhenToBird

Corthylio calendula · Regulidae

When Do Ruby-crowned Kinglets Arrive in Michigan?

Adult male Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ruby-crowned Kinglets arrive in Michigan in early April, peak in late April (20% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: late April. First arrivals early April; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 20% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.2% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 23% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 19% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.4% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% 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: 0.7% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.6% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.9% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Monroe CountyBest the second week of October · 277 checklists that week, 22,078 in all42%
  2. Ontonagon CountyBest late April · 63 checklists that week, 3,548 in all42%
  3. Ogemaw CountyBest early October · 77 checklists that week, 4,675 in all36%
  4. Benzie CountyBest late April · 534 checklists that week, 14,114 in all32%
  5. Montcalm CountyBest the second week of October · 84 checklists that week, 4,510 in all31%
  6. Delta CountyBest the second week of October · 116 checklists that week, 6,537 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warren Dunes State ParkBerrien County, best late April · 188 checklists that week, 2,854 in all83%
  2. Black Lake ParkMuskegon County, best late April · 62 checklists that week, 1,182 in all80%
  3. Klienstuck PreserveKalamazoo County, best mid April · 149 checklists that week, 2,273 in all77%
  4. Dolph Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best late April · 315 checklists that week, 2,011 in all77%
  5. Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (Bullhead Creek)Saginaw County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 321 in all77%
  6. Heritage ParkOakland County, best the second week of October · 97 checklists that week, 4,532 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (6.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 6.0% of 39298 checklists7 am: 6.4% of 120344 checklists8 am: 6.6% of 180109 checklists9 am: 5.8% of 171966 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 156332 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 3.7% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 3.9% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 4.2% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 3.7% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 1.8% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April1.2%7.2%17%23%
May19%11%4.4%0.9%
June0.4%0.4%0.3%0.2%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.7%1.3%3.8%11%
October18%20%17%8.6%
November2.9%1.1%0.3%0.2%
December0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets arrive in Michigan?
Ruby-crowned Kinglets arrive in Michigan in early April, peak in late April (20% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets leave Michigan?
Most Ruby-crowned Kinglets have left Michigan by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Michigan?
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in late April, on about 20% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Ruby-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Ontonagon County, and Ogemaw County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).