WhenToBird

Troglodytes hiemalis · Troglodytidae

When Do Winter Wrens Arrive in Missouri?

Adult Winter Wren
Photo: Derek Spencer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Winter Wrens are winter birds in Missouri: they arrive in early October, peak in late October (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: late October. First arrivals early October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 3.1% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.8% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.4% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% 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% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.0% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.5% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.7% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.4% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.3% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.9% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.4% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.4% 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. Mississippi CountyBest late November · 20 checklists that week, 1,302 in all32%
  2. Pemiscot CountyBest late January · 33 checklists that week, 1,602 in all21%
  3. Shannon CountyBest early January · 26 checklists that week, 2,191 in all19%
  4. Stoddard CountyBest late December · 68 checklists that week, 2,301 in all17%
  5. Andrew CountyBest mid December · 12 checklists that week, 586 in all17%
  6. Perry CountyBest late November · 20 checklists that week, 1,583 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Valley Water Mill PondGreene County, best late October · 39 checklists that week, 1,646 in all52%
  2. Mdc Nature Center/ North CountyCape Girardeau County, best late November · 43 checklists that week, 1,627 in all51%
  3. John J. Audubon Regional Nature and Artist CenterPhelps County, best late October · 29 checklists that week, 1,077 in all36%
  4. Rock Bridge Memorial State ParkBoone County, best early April · 59 checklists that week, 1,012 in all28%
  5. Weston Bend State ParkPlatte County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 673 in all27%
  6. Tower Grove ParkSt. Louis City, best the second week of April · 187 checklists that week, 6,087 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Winter Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.5% of 27231 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 64162 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 67854 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 56515 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 47496 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 0.2% 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
January1.9%1.7%1.8%1.7%
February1.7%1.3%1.0%1.0%
March1.0%1.1%1.1%2.1%
April2.0%1.4%1.3%0.9%
May0.4%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0.1%0.3%
October1.0%2.0%3.0%3.5%
November2.7%2.4%2.3%2.6%
December2.2%2.9%3.4%2.4%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Missouri
  • Iowa: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Missouri

Common questions

When do Winter Wrens arrive in Missouri?
Winter Wrens are winter birds in Missouri: they arrive in early October, peak in late October (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Winter Wrens leave Missouri?
Most Winter Wrens have left Missouri by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Winter Wren in Missouri?
The Winter Wren is reported most often in late October, on about 3.1% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Winter Wrens seen most often?
By county, Mississippi County, Pemiscot County, and Shannon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Winter Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).