WhenToBird

Corthylio calendula · Regulidae

When Do Ruby-crowned Kinglets Arrive in New York?

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

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in New York: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (29% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byJan 1-7early January

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early January. Peak: on about 29% of New York checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.8% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 27% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.8% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 22% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.3% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.6% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.0% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kings CountyBest mid October · 3112 checklists that week, 134,897 in all55%
  2. New York CountyBest mid October · 4456 checklists that week, 187,471 in all50%
  3. Putnam CountyBest the second week of October · 352 checklists that week, 13,177 in all44%
  4. Bronx CountyBest mid October · 513 checklists that week, 24,489 in all44%
  5. Queens CountyBest mid October · 1476 checklists that week, 76,201 in all41%
  6. Sullivan CountyBest the second week of October · 504 checklists that week, 28,620 in all39%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Beechwood State ParkWayne County, best late April · 62 checklists that week, 1,500 in all93%
  2. Conference House ParkRichmond County, best late October · 48 checklists that week, 1,273 in all91%
  3. Kissena ParkQueens County, best mid October · 84 checklists that week, 2,020 in all88%
  4. Slim PointWarren County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 394 in all87%
  5. Central Park (north 2)New York County, best mid October · 202 checklists that week, 6,943 in all85%
  6. Lake Erie State ParkChautauqua County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 473 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 9.1% of 124869 checklists7 am: 9.7% of 298506 checklists8 am: 8.9% of 337334 checklists9 am: 8.0% of 307787 checklists10 am: 7.0% of 270801 checklists11 am: 6.1% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 5.5% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 5.5% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 5.9% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 5.9% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January1.2%1.1%0.8%0.7%
February0.7%0.6%0.5%0.6%
March0.7%0.7%0.9%1.4%
April3.8%13%27%30%
May23%11%2.7%0.3%
June0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%
July0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.2%0.9%4.8%14%
October26%31%30%22%
November12%5.3%3.6%2.6%
December2.2%2.0%1.9%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than New York
  • Vermont: arrives early April, 21 weeks earlier than New York

Common questions

When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets arrive in New York?
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in New York: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (29% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.
When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets leave New York?
Most Ruby-crowned Kinglets have left New York by early January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in New York?
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 29% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Ruby-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Kings County, New York County, and Putnam County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).