WhenToBird

Egretta thula · Ardeidae

When Do Snowy Egrets Arrive in Oklahoma?

Adult Snowy Egret
Photo: Matt Muir, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snowy Egrets reach Oklahoma in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in mid August (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: mid August. First arrivals late March; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 10% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.2% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.3% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.9% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.7% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.2% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.0% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.7% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.2% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.5% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.7% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.9% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.5% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.9% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.6% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.2% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.3% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.9% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.5% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.8% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.6% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.7% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.6% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.2% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Alfalfa CountyBest early August · 46 checklists that week, 3,843 in all73%
  2. Canadian CountyBest the second week of August · 61 checklists that week, 4,307 in all36%
  3. Love CountyBest late September · 13 checklists that week, 490 in all35%
  4. McCurtain CountyBest early September · 17 checklists that week, 2,908 in all34%
  5. Choctaw CountyBest the second week of September · 19 checklists that week, 844 in all32%
  6. Marshall CountyBest late July · 29 checklists that week, 590 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upper Dog PondAlfalfa County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 783 in all86%
  2. Lake Hefner (Lansbrook Lake)Oklahoma County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 743 in all82%
  3. Edmond ParkOklahoma County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 792 in all81%
  4. Lake Thunderbird State ParkCleveland County, best mid August · 29 checklists that week, 824 in all78%
  5. Lake HefnerOklahoma County, best the second week of September · 55 checklists that week, 2,749 in all73%
  6. Red SloughMcCurtain County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 492 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Snowy Egret is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 6.0% of 8353 checklists7 am: 3.9% of 24509 checklists8 am: 3.6% of 27848 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 25316 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 21161 checklists11 am: 3.4% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 2.9% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 3.0% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 4.1% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 3.4% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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%0%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%0.7%
April2.2%4.3%5.9%5.7%
May4.2%5.0%4.7%5.2%
June4.5%4.7%4.9%5.5%
July5.9%5.6%7.2%8.3%
August9.9%10%10%10%
September9.5%9.8%9.6%8.7%
October6.6%3.6%2.2%0.8%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%
December0%0%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives mid April, 3 weeks later than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives mid June, 11 weeks later than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks later than Oklahoma
  • Texas: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Snowy Egrets arrive in Oklahoma?
Snowy Egrets reach Oklahoma in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in mid August (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Snowy Egrets leave Oklahoma?
Most Snowy Egrets have left Oklahoma by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Snowy Egret in Oklahoma?
The Snowy Egret is reported most often in mid August, on about 10% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Snowy Egrets seen most often?
By county, Alfalfa County, Canadian County, and Love County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snowy Egret (counties with at least 200 checklists).