WhenToBird

Cygnus buccinator · Anatidae

When Do Trumpeter Swans Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Trumpeter Swan
Photo: brentnmoran, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Trumpeter Swans are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in the second week of December, peak in mid January (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: mid January. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 2.7% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprrare
  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. Novrare
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.8% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% 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. Wyandotte CountyBest the second week of January · 108 checklists that week, 3,430 in all39%
  2. Doniphan CountyBest the second week of February · 17 checklists that week, 547 in all18%
  3. Neosho CountyBest the second week of August · 32 checklists that week, 2,366 in all16%
  4. Greenwood CountyBest late December · 16 checklists that week, 611 in all9.3%
  5. Woodson CountyBest mid December · 14 checklists that week, 713 in all8.8%
  6. Stafford CountyBest the second week of February · 55 checklists that week, 6,839 in all8.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Neosho Wildlife AreaNeosho County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 676 in all64%
  2. Wyandotte Co LakeWyandotte County, best mid January · 31 checklists that week, 882 in all63%
  3. Lexington Lake ParkJohnson County, best early January · 45 checklists that week, 354 in all54%
  4. Pottawatomie State Fishing LakePottawatomie County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 529 in all32%
  5. Mission LakeBrown County, best early January · 51 checklists that week, 636 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Trumpeter Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.1% of 12550 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 34128 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 45960 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 37806 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 32102 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.1% 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
January2.0%2.5%2.9%2.8%
February2.0%1.7%1.2%1.5%
March0.5%0.4%0.3%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
December0.7%0.5%1.3%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives mid November, 3 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early November, 5 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid November, 3 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Iowa: arrives late September, 10 weeks earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do Trumpeter Swans arrive in Kansas?
Trumpeter Swans are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in the second week of December, peak in mid January (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Trumpeter Swans leave Kansas?
Most Trumpeter Swans have left Kansas by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Trumpeter Swan in Kansas?
The Trumpeter Swan is reported most often in mid January, on about 2.7% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Trumpeter Swans seen most often?
By county, Wyandotte County, Doniphan County, and Neosho County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Trumpeter Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).