WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Western Meadowlarks are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of June (26% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Fall back byJul 15-21mid July
FewestFeb 1-7early February

Best: the second week of June. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by mid July. Peak: on about 26% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.0% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.9% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.3% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 19% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 23% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 25% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 27% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 27% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 21% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 18% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 12% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.2% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.1% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.0% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.1% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.4% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.3% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.7% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.0% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.1% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.1% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.5% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.2% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.3% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.4% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Banner CountyBest mid June · 28 checklists that week, 689 in all90%
  2. Kimball CountyBest the second week of April · 61 checklists that week, 2,067 in all81%
  3. Sioux CountyBest early May · 51 checklists that week, 2,408 in all80%
  4. Arthur CountyBest late April · 12 checklists that week, 207 in all79%
  5. McPherson CountyBest early May · 14 checklists that week, 255 in all78%
  6. Sheridan CountyBest mid April · 31 checklists that week, 1,695 in all78%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wood Duck Wildlife Management AreaStanton County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 189 in all89%
  2. Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (north)Buffalo County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 296 in all81%
  3. Flanagan Lake & Recreation AreaDouglas County, best the second week of April · 28 checklists that week, 1,089 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (17% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 25% of 6945 checklists7 am: 15% of 19066 checklists8 am: 13% of 24661 checklists9 am: 13% of 23438 checklists10 am: 13% of 20424 checklists11 am: 13% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 11% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 11% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 11% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 11% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 11% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 12% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 13% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 13% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January3.9%3.5%4.0%3.7%
February3.2%3.5%3.9%4.3%
March7.3%11%14%17%
April17%18%18%19%
May17%15%19%23%
June25%27%27%24%
July21%18%17%12%
August12%9.2%7.1%7.0%
September7.1%7.4%9.3%13%
October13%12%11%8.7%
November7.0%5.1%4.1%3.5%
December4.2%3.3%4.4%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early March, 3 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives early March, 3 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives early March, 3 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of October, 22 weeks earlier than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in Nebraska?
Western Meadowlarks are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of June (26% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave Nebraska?
Western Meadowlarks never fully leave Nebraska: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid July, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in Nebraska?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 26% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Banner County, Kimball County, and Sioux County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).