WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Sandhill crane
Photo: Cathy Perkins, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sandhill Cranes mostly pass through Kansas: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 4.4% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.7% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.2% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.1% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.8% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.4% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.6% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stafford CountyBest the second week of November · 245 checklists that week, 6,839 in all48%
  2. Hodgeman CountyBest late October · 13 checklists that week, 670 in all29%
  3. Barton CountyBest late February · 23 checklists that week, 4,391 in all24%
  4. Meade CountyBest late October · 17 checklists that week, 892 in all23%
  5. Russell CountyBest early November · 126 checklists that week, 5,277 in all22%
  6. Logan CountyBest early November · 15 checklists that week, 1,379 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (southwest)Stafford County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 384 in all93%
  2. Quivira National Wildlife RefugeStafford County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 1,247 in all91%
  3. Big Salt MarshStafford County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 600 in all51%
  4. Little Salt Marsh (south)Stafford County, best early November · 20 checklists that week, 248 in all36%
  5. Little Salt MarshStafford County, best the second week of November · 35 checklists that week, 922 in all35%
  6. Park Smith LakeStafford County, best late October · 28 checklists that week, 696 in all19%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 4 and 6 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 12550 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 34128 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 45960 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 37806 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January0.3%0.2%0.2%0.4%
February0.3%0.5%0.8%1.7%
March2.2%2.1%1.7%0.6%
April0.2%0.3%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0.1%0%0%0.1%
August0%0.1%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.5%1.8%2.8%3.4%
November5.4%4.6%1.9%0.9%
December0.3%0.4%0.2%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives mid February, 18 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Iowa: arrives late February, 19 weeks later than Kansas
  • South Dakota: arrives early March, 20 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Kansas?
Sandhill Cranes mostly pass through Kansas: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Kansas?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left Kansas by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Kansas?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in early November, on about 4.4% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Stafford County, Hodgeman County, and Barton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).