WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Western Meadowlark
Photo: Aiva Noringseth, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Western Meadowlarks are in Kansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in early April (9.7% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Fall back byJul 1-7early July
FewestSep 1-7early September

Best: early April. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by early July. Peak: on about 9.7% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.5% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.9% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.2% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.2% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.2% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.9% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.8% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.0% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.3% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.7% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.2% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.5% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.7% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.5% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.9% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.2% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.7% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.6% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.4% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.2% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.2% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.6% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.2% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.2% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.9% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.5% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.8% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.9% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.6% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.6% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.5% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.8% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.5% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.4% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.6% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.8% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.9% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.6% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.4% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.9% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.6% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.0% 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. Kearny CountyBest early March · 12 checklists that week, 452 in all85%
  2. Ness CountyBest late March · 13 checklists that week, 337 in all85%
  3. Hodgeman CountyBest the second week of March · 13 checklists that week, 670 in all84%
  4. Gove CountyBest mid March · 20 checklists that week, 1,282 in all80%
  5. Logan CountyBest late February · 22 checklists that week, 1,379 in all79%
  6. Graham CountyBest mid April · 34 checklists that week, 440 in all79%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chalk Bluffs FeeLogan County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 194 in all89%
  2. Vineyard ParkEllis County, best the second week of April · 55 checklists that week, 263 in all74%
  3. Ford State Fishing Lake and Wildlife AreaFord County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 325 in all74%
  4. Cimarron National GrasslandMorton County, best mid May · 26 checklists that week, 495 in all69%
  5. Cimarron National Grassland (East Headquarters Pasture)Morton County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 262 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (7.0% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 8.4% of 12550 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 34128 checklists8 am: 6.5% of 45960 checklists9 am: 7.1% of 37806 checklists10 am: 6.9% of 32102 checklists11 am: 6.8% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 6.3% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 6.3% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 6.6% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 6.4% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 6.3% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 6.5% 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
January4.5%3.9%4.1%5.4%
February6.2%4.1%4.2%6.2%
March6.9%7.8%9.0%9.3%
April7.7%12%8.2%7.5%
May8.7%7.5%6.9%8.2%
June8.7%8.6%7.4%7.2%
July6.2%5.6%5.2%5.2%
August3.9%3.5%3.8%2.8%
September3.2%2.9%3.6%4.6%
October5.5%7.8%9.5%8.4%
November7.6%7.8%6.9%5.6%
December5.4%4.9%4.6%5.0%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late March, 3 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid August, 22 weeks later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of October, 19 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Iowa: arrives early March, in the same week than Kansas

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in Kansas?
Western Meadowlarks are in Kansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in early April (9.7% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave Kansas?
Western Meadowlarks never fully leave Kansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in Kansas?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in early April, on about 9.7% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Kearny County, Ness County, and Hodgeman County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).