WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Swainson's Thrush
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Kansas: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in the second week of May (23% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 23% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 10% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 24% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.2% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.6% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.2% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.8% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Cherokee CountyBest early May · 189 checklists that week, 1,859 in all45%
  2. Franklin CountyBest the second week of May · 109 checklists that week, 2,039 in all40%
  3. Crawford CountyBest early May · 220 checklists that week, 2,687 in all38%
  4. Linn CountyBest the second week of May · 138 checklists that week, 2,601 in all36%
  5. Shawnee CountyBest the second week of May · 729 checklists that week, 16,596 in all34%
  6. Wyandotte CountyBest the second week of May · 177 checklists that week, 3,430 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rice WoodlandDouglas County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 132 in all90%
  2. Felker ParkShawnee County, best the second week of May · 76 checklists that week, 988 in all85%
  3. Mill Creek Streamway (Little Mill Creek)Johnson County, best the second week of May · 37 checklists that week, 300 in all85%
  4. Kansas Ecological ReservesDouglas County, best the second week of May · 88 checklists that week, 563 in all83%
  5. AntiochJohnson County, best the second week of May · 102 checklists that week, 399 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 13% of 12550 checklists7 am: 6.4% of 34128 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 45960 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 37806 checklists10 am: 3.0% of 32102 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 2.9% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 3.0% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 2.7% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.5%10%
May24%25%20%6.2%
June0.3%0.1%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.2%
September1.6%3.2%2.8%1.0%
October0.4%0.1%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late April, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid April, in the same week than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives mid April, in the same week than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Kansas?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Kansas: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in the second week of May (23% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Kansas?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Kansas by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Kansas?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 23% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Cherokee County, Franklin County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).