WhenToBird

Eudocimus albus · Threskiornithidae

When Do White Ibises Arrive in Florida?

Adult White Ibis
Photo: xanderferret, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The White Ibis is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (early December) and on 30% in its quietest week (late April).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 1-7early December
Quietest weekApr 22-30late April

Best: early December. Here all year. Peak: on about 37% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 35% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 35% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 35% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 35% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 35% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 35% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 33% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 36% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 35% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 34% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 32% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 31% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 30% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 33% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 34% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 35% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 35% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 35% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 35% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 36% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 36% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 36% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 35% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 34% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 34% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 31% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 32% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 32% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 32% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 32% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 32% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 34% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 35% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 36% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 37% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 37% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 37% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 36% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 36% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lee CountyBest late August · 1540 checklists that week, 110,404 in all59%
  2. Madison CountyBest late November · 49 checklists that week, 1,783 in all58%
  3. Glades CountyBest early November · 29 checklists that week, 6,182 in all57%
  4. Okeechobee CountyBest the second week of November · 86 checklists that week, 5,380 in all57%
  5. Pinellas CountyBest the second week of June · 1780 checklists that week, 148,901 in all57%
  6. Collier CountyBest early March · 2852 checklists that week, 84,200 in all57%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Peaceful WatersPalm Beach County, best mid August · 20 checklists that week, 4,405 in all100%
  2. Venetian GardensLake County, best late February · 25 checklists that week, 835 in all100%
  3. J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (northwest)Lee County, best late November · 24 checklists that week, 1,215 in all100%
  4. Enchanted LakeMiami-Dade County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 1,558 in all100%
  5. Lakes Regional ParkLee County, best the second week of May · 27 checklists that week, 3,027 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the White Ibis is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (41% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 38% of 94591 checklists7 am: 42% of 296183 checklists8 am: 39% of 319987 checklists9 am: 35% of 254830 checklists10 am: 33% of 209480 checklists11 am: 31% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 30% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 30% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 30% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 30% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 30% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 29% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 29% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January35%35%35%35%
February35%35%33%35%
March36%35%34%32%
April30%31%30%30%
May30%30%31%32%
June33%33%34%35%
July35%35%35%36%
August36%36%35%34%
September34%31%32%32%
October32%32%32%34%
November35%35%36%37%
December37%37%36%36%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: summer visitor, peaks early August
  • South Carolina: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of August
  • Alabama: summer visitor, peaks the second week of August
  • Mississippi: summer visitor, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do White Ibises arrive in Florida?
The White Ibis is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (early December) and on 30% in its quietest week (late April).
When do White Ibises leave Florida?
The White Ibis does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 30% of checklists in late April to 37% in early December.
When is the best time to see a White Ibis in Florida?
The White Ibis is reported most often in early December, on about 37% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are White Ibises seen most often?
By county, Lee County, Madison County, and Glades County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White Ibis (counties with at least 200 checklists).