WhenToBird

Bubo scandiacus · Strigidae

When Do Snowy Owls Arrive in Illinois?

Adult female Snowy Owl
Photo: Andrew Bazdyrev, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snowy Owls are winter birds in Illinois: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in early December (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: early December. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 1.6% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Livingston CountyBest late January · 22 checklists that week, 1,092 in all35%
  2. Lee CountyBest the second week of January · 66 checklists that week, 6,175 in all20%
  3. Douglas CountyBest early December · 16 checklists that week, 992 in all12%
  4. Moultrie CountyBest mid January · 22 checklists that week, 1,367 in all8.6%
  5. Piatt CountyBest late January · 102 checklists that week, 4,640 in all4.5%
  6. McHenry CountyBest the second week of December · 727 checklists that week, 45,486 in all4.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Prairie Bluff Preserve 2Will County, best the second week of January · 48 checklists that week, 226 in all76%
  2. Lincoln (Abraham) (northwest)Cook County, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 299 in all73%
  3. Burnham (Daniel) (Thirty-first Street Beach)Cook County, best late November · 70 checklists that week, 643 in all69%
  4. Lincoln (Abraham) (Montrose - Wilson Beach)Cook County, best late November · 99 checklists that week, 3,062 in all57%
  5. Rainbow BeachCook County, best the second week of December · 75 checklists that week, 2,955 in all26%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Snowy Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 95511 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 164584 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 163654 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 141804 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 122882 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January0.5%1.0%0.8%0.5%
February0.5%0.3%0.2%0.2%
March0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0.3%1.0%2.0%
December1.3%1.3%0.7%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Wisconsin: arrives mid November, 1 week later than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives late November, 2 weeks later than Illinois
  • Ohio: arrives mid November, 1 week later than Illinois
  • Minnesota: arrives early December, 3 weeks later than Illinois

Common questions

When do Snowy Owls arrive in Illinois?
Snowy Owls are winter birds in Illinois: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in early December (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Snowy Owls leave Illinois?
Most Snowy Owls have left Illinois by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Snowy Owl in Illinois?
The Snowy Owl is reported most often in early December, on about 1.6% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Snowy Owls seen most often?
By county, Livingston County, Lee County, and Douglas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snowy Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).