WhenToBird

Corthylio calendula · Regulidae

When Do Ruby-crowned Kinglets Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early November (31% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: early November. First arrivals late September; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 31% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 25% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 24% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 23% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 20% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 17% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 16% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 23% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 27% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 29% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 10% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.0% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.3% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.3% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 18% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 25% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 31% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 30% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 31% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 31% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 28% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bladen CountyBest the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 3,758 in all77%
  2. Columbus CountyBest mid November · 45 checklists that week, 2,001 in all64%
  3. Gates CountyBest the second week of November · 59 checklists that week, 4,066 in all64%
  4. Anson CountyBest early December · 11 checklists that week, 2,224 in all63%
  5. Duplin CountyBest early November · 64 checklists that week, 2,097 in all58%
  6. Stanly CountyBest mid November · 26 checklists that week, 3,221 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. City of Raleigh Greenway - Neuse River GreenwayWake County, best late March · 27 checklists that week, 543 in all94%
  2. New Hanover County ParkNew Hanover County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 1,171 in all92%
  3. Mecklenburg County Open SpaceMecklenburg County, best early April · 70 checklists that week, 1,239 in all89%
  4. Mecklenburg County Open Space - Clark's Creek Nature PreserveMecklenburg County, best mid November · 21 checklists that week, 1,456 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (18% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 11% of 50335 checklists7 am: 17% of 150152 checklists8 am: 18% of 182902 checklists9 am: 17% of 158933 checklists10 am: 15% of 128398 checklists11 am: 15% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 14% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 14% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 14% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 14% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 10% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 5.5% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 2.0% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January25%24%23%22%
February20%17%16%19%
March19%20%23%27%
April30%29%20%10%
May3.0%0.7%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0%0%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.3%0.9%3.3%
October9.3%18%25%31%
November33%30%31%30%
December29%29%31%28%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives early October, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of March, 22 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets arrive in North Carolina?
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early November (31% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Ruby-crowned Kinglets leave North Carolina?
Most Ruby-crowned Kinglets have left North Carolina by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in North Carolina?
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is reported most often in early November, on about 31% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Ruby-crowned Kinglets seen most often?
By county, Bladen County, Columbus County, and Gates County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (counties with at least 200 checklists).