WhenToBird

Pipilo maculatus · Passerellidae

When Do Spotted Towhees Arrive in Kansas?

Adult male Spotted Towhee
Photo: Tser, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Spotted Towhees are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in the second week of October (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 7.1% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 3.3% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.0% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.5% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.3% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.2% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.7% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% 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: 0.1% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.5% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.7% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.9% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.7% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.7% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.0% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.9% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.3% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.9% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% 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. Scott CountyBest early December · 35 checklists that week, 1,780 in all47%
  2. Chautauqua CountyBest late November · 29 checklists that week, 723 in all40%
  3. Russell CountyBest the second week of October · 102 checklists that week, 5,277 in all40%
  4. Morton CountyBest the second week of October · 136 checklists that week, 4,009 in all32%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of October · 12 checklists that week, 577 in all27%
  6. Rawlins CountyBest late September · 15 checklists that week, 522 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chisholm Creek ParkSedgwick County, best mid November · 34 checklists that week, 2,054 in all66%
  2. Scott State ParkScott County, best mid November · 21 checklists that week, 519 in all62%
  3. Harvey County ParkHarvey County, best early December · 24 checklists that week, 657 in all57%
  4. Ford State Fishing Lake and Wildlife AreaFord County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 325 in all49%
  5. Pawnee Prairie ParkSedgwick County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 391 in all45%
  6. Pracht Wetlands ParkSedgwick County, best mid October · 25 checklists that week, 848 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Spotted Towhee is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 1.7% of 12550 checklists7 am: 2.9% of 34128 checklists8 am: 3.5% of 45960 checklists9 am: 2.9% of 37806 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 32102 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 2.5% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 1.0% 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
January3.3%2.9%2.8%2.3%
February2.7%2.1%2.0%2.3%
March1.6%2.5%2.1%2.0%
April2.0%2.3%3.2%4.7%
May3.4%1.4%0.5%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0%0%0.1%
August0.1%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.2%0.5%2.5%
October5.7%7.9%7.7%5.7%
November4.0%3.9%4.3%4.6%
December3.6%5.2%4.9%4.4%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of April, 21 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Kansas
  • South Dakota: arrives mid April, 20 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Spotted Towhees arrive in Kansas?
Spotted Towhees are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in the second week of October (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Spotted Towhees leave Kansas?
Most Spotted Towhees have left Kansas by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Spotted Towhee in Kansas?
The Spotted Towhee is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 7.1% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Spotted Towhees seen most often?
By county, Scott County, Chautauqua County, and Russell County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Spotted Towhee (counties with at least 200 checklists).