WhenToBird

Setophaga coronata · Parulidae

When Do Yellow-rumped Warblers Arrive in Kentucky?

Adult Yellow-rumped Warbler
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-rumped Warblers are winter birds in Kentucky: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (35% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 35% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 9.1% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.0% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.1% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.2% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.0% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.1% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.2% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 19% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 26% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 29% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 22% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 10% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.3% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 38% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 34% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 27% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 21% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spencer CountyBest mid October · 171 checklists that week, 7,721 in all75%
  2. Muhlenberg CountyBest mid October · 13 checklists that week, 1,263 in all71%
  3. Floyd CountyBest mid December · 33 checklists that week, 342 in all59%
  4. Adair CountyBest mid October · 18 checklists that week, 903 in all58%
  5. Estill CountyBest early January · 10 checklists that week, 382 in all58%
  6. Warren CountyBest mid October · 92 checklists that week, 5,431 in all57%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lakeview ParkFayette County, best mid April · 28 checklists that week, 365 in all85%
  2. Willow LakeJefferson County, best mid October · 31 checklists that week, 1,890 in all80%
  3. Henderson County Preserve 01Henderson County, best mid April · 40 checklists that week, 955 in all78%
  4. Lake HickmanFayette County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 1,926 in all77%
  5. Double CreekLivingston County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 155 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 11% of 8227 checklists7 am: 13% of 24608 checklists8 am: 15% of 36577 checklists9 am: 13% of 34626 checklists10 am: 12% of 28796 checklists11 am: 12% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 11% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 11% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 11% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 12% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 11% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 9.6% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 7.0% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 3.8% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January9.1%7.0%7.1%9.2%
February11%9.0%8.1%9.2%
March11%11%13%14%
April19%22%26%29%
May22%10%1.0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0.1%0%0%
September0%0.1%0.5%5.3%
October15%34%38%34%
November27%21%15%13%
December11%11%13%14%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives late September, 1 week later than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives late August, 3 weeks earlier than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Yellow-rumped Warblers arrive in Kentucky?
Yellow-rumped Warblers are winter birds in Kentucky: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (35% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Yellow-rumped Warblers leave Kentucky?
Most Yellow-rumped Warblers have left Kentucky by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler in Kentucky?
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is reported most often in mid October, on about 35% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Yellow-rumped Warblers seen most often?
By county, Spencer County, Muhlenberg County, and Floyd County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-rumped Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).