WhenToBird

Nyctanassa violacea · Ardeidae

When Do Yellow-crowned Night Herons Arrive in Oklahoma?

Adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋）, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-crowned Night Herons reach Oklahoma in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in late July (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakJul 22-31late July
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: late July. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 4.3% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.5% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.2% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.8% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.1% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.0% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.2% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.6% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.0% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.8% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.0% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.4% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.3% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.1% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.3% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.9% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tillman CountyBest early August · 12 checklists that week, 1,199 in all42%
  2. Okmulgee CountyBest mid July · 13 checklists that week, 728 in all22%
  3. Carter CountyBest early July · 103 checklists that week, 6,310 in all20%
  4. Adair CountyBest mid July · 15 checklists that week, 616 in all15%
  5. Harper CountyBest late August · 12 checklists that week, 930 in all13%
  6. Alfalfa CountyBest mid August · 51 checklists that week, 3,843 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stars & Stripes ParkOklahoma County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 1,039 in all38%
  2. Upper Bayou Site 10 ReservoirCarter County, best the second week of July · 33 checklists that week, 1,672 in all36%
  3. Recreation LakeTulsa County, best late April · 99 checklists that week, 3,060 in all35%
  4. Lake HefnerOklahoma County, best mid July · 21 checklists that week, 2,749 in all30%
  5. Red SloughMcCurtain County, best early May · 50 checklists that week, 492 in all29%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 4.5% of 8353 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 24509 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 27848 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 25316 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 21161 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 2.0% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 2.5% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0.2%0.6%
April0.7%1.0%1.5%2.0%
May2.2%2.8%2.9%3.1%
June3.0%3.2%3.6%4.0%
July3.8%4.0%4.4%4.3%
August4.1%3.3%3.9%2.6%
September1.8%1.3%1.7%1.3%
October0.6%0.2%0.1%0%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early May, 3 weeks later than Oklahoma
  • Texas: arrives the second week of March, 4 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of March, 4 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Yellow-crowned Night Herons arrive in Oklahoma?
Yellow-crowned Night Herons reach Oklahoma in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in late July (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Yellow-crowned Night Herons leave Oklahoma?
Most Yellow-crowned Night Herons have left Oklahoma by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late September.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Oklahoma?
The Yellow-crowned Night Heron is reported most often in late July, on about 4.3% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Yellow-crowned Night Herons seen most often?
By county, Tillman County, Okmulgee County, and Carter County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-crowned Night Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).