WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Missouri?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Missouri: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in the second week of May (25% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

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

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 25% of Missouri 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. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  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 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 28% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 19% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.9% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.9% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.4% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.1% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.3% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 13142 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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saline CountyBest the second week of May · 63 checklists that week, 1,137 in all50%
  2. St. Louis CityBest the second week of May · 1808 checklists that week, 28,925 in all45%
  3. Pulaski CountyBest the second week of May · 84 checklists that week, 1,398 in all42%
  4. Newton CountyBest early May · 245 checklists that week, 4,936 in all41%
  5. Johnson CountyBest the second week of May · 240 checklists that week, 6,462 in all37%
  6. Christian CountyBest the second week of May · 300 checklists that week, 4,350 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (east)Boone County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 257 in all93%
  2. Clear Fork LakeJohnson County, best the second week of May · 52 checklists that week, 725 in all88%
  3. Ritter Springs ParkGreene County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 289 in all88%
  4. Northwest ParkwayBuchanan County, best the second week of May · 71 checklists that week, 292 in all83%
  5. Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (Devils Icebox)Boone County, best mid May · 24 checklists that week, 141 in all81%
  6. Castlewood State Park (Morschels)St. Louis County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 638 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 8.3% of 27231 checklists7 am: 5.7% of 64162 checklists8 am: 4.8% of 67854 checklists9 am: 4.1% of 56515 checklists10 am: 3.4% of 47496 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 3.0% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 3.2% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 3.8% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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%0.1%2.0%14%
May27%28%19%3.9%
June0.2%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.3%
September2.9%5.4%6.1%4.3%
October1.5%0.9%0.4%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Missouri
  • Iowa: arrives late April, 1 week later than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives mid April, in the same week than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives mid August, 16 weeks later than Missouri

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Missouri?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Missouri: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in the second week of May (25% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Missouri?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Missouri by mid 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 Missouri?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 25% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Saline County, St. Louis City, and Pulaski County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).