WhenToBird

Rostrhamus sociabilis · Accipitridae

When Do Snail Kites Arrive in Florida?

Adult Snail Kite
Photo: Barry Stewart, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snail Kites are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in early October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of January (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 1.6% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.3% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.0% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.2% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Osceola CountyBest early January · 666 checklists that week, 25,329 in all16%
  2. Glades CountyBest mid February · 185 checklists that week, 6,182 in all13%
  3. Alachua CountyBest early January · 3810 checklists that week, 120,363 in all13%
  4. Hendry CountyBest mid October · 36 checklists that week, 3,103 in all11%
  5. Okeechobee CountyBest early October · 62 checklists that week, 5,380 in all8.7%
  6. Lake CountyBest late February · 1124 checklists that week, 40,995 in all4.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (south)Alachua County, best late April · 38 checklists that week, 2,092 in all80%
  2. Emeralda Marsh Conservation AreaLake County, best mid January · 23 checklists that week, 619 in all80%
  3. Kissimmee Lakefront ParkOsceola County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 634 in all75%
  4. Gil Waters Preserve at Lake MunsonLeon County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 482 in all72%
  5. Harn's MarshLee County, best the second week of June · 25 checklists that week, 3,631 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Snail Kite is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 1.1% of 94591 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 296183 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 319987 checklists9 am: 1.2% of 254830 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 209480 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January1.6%1.6%1.6%1.5%
February1.5%1.3%1.3%1.5%
March1.3%1.3%1.3%1.1%
April0.9%0.9%1.0%0.9%
May0.8%0.9%0.9%1.0%
June1.5%1.2%1.2%0.9%
July0.8%0.7%0.7%0.8%
August0.7%0.7%0.8%0.6%
September0.6%0.5%0.5%0.6%
October0.6%0.7%0.7%1.1%
November1.1%1.3%1.4%1.3%
December1.4%1.4%1.3%1.4%

Common questions

When do Snail Kites arrive in Florida?
Snail Kites are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in early October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of January (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Snail Kites leave Florida?
Most Snail Kites have left Florida by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late August.
When is the best time to see a Snail Kite in Florida?
The Snail Kite is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 1.6% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Snail Kites seen most often?
By county, Osceola County, Glades County, and Alachua County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snail Kite (counties with at least 200 checklists).