WhenToBird

Falco sparverius · Falconidae

When Do American Kestrels Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult male American Kestrel
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Kestrels are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early October, peak in the second week of December (8.4% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (early May) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 1-7early October
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Fall back byMar 8-14the second week of March
FewestMay 1-7early May

Best: the second week of December. Here all year; numbers build from early October and fall back by the second week of March. Peak: on about 8.4% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 7.9% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.4% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.9% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.7% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.4% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.8% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.1% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.2% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.8% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.0% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.4% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.5% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.1% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.4% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.4% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.6% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.0% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.7% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.1% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.7% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.0% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.8% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.3% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.1% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.1% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.6% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.8% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.5% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.9% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.0% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.0% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.0% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.8% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.1% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.2% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.6% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.3% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.9% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.4% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.8% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.3% of 17397 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Obion CountyBest early November · 40 checklists that week, 2,011 in all46%
  2. Grainger CountyBest mid October · 44 checklists that week, 3,030 in all45%
  3. White CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 1,377 in all44%
  4. Decatur CountyBest late October · 13 checklists that week, 378 in all41%
  5. Robertson CountyBest early March · 14 checklists that week, 1,283 in all38%
  6. Lawrence CountyBest the second week of December · 28 checklists that week, 736 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shelby FarmsShelby County, best mid January · 22 checklists that week, 879 in all87%
  2. Locke SwampLincoln County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 830 in all80%
  3. Cornelia Fort AirparkDavidson County, best the second week of November · 31 checklists that week, 1,984 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the American Kestrel is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (5.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (224) to judge1 am: too few checklists (253) to judge2 am: too few checklists (245) to judge3 am: too few checklists (267) to judge4 am: too few checklists (582) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5688) to judge6 am: 4.1% of 36828 checklists7 am: 4.4% of 72816 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 76910 checklists9 am: 5.5% of 69071 checklists10 am: 5.7% of 60943 checklists11 am: 5.5% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 5.5% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 5.9% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 5.8% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 5.6% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 3.6% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 3.0% of 20977 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (12529) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4456) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1056) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (445) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (252) 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
January7.9%7.4%6.9%6.7%
February6.4%5.8%5.1%6.2%
March5.8%5.0%5.4%4.4%
April3.1%3.0%2.5%2.1%
May2.4%2.3%2.4%2.6%
June3.0%2.7%2.9%3.1%
July3.7%4.0%3.8%4.3%
August4.1%5.1%4.6%3.8%
September4.5%3.9%4.0%5.2%
October5.0%6.0%6.8%7.1%
November7.2%7.6%7.4%7.3%
December7.9%8.4%8.8%7.3%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of November, 5 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives early September, 4 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of July, 11 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives early June, 16 weeks earlier than Tennessee

Common questions

When do American Kestrels arrive in Tennessee?
American Kestrels are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early October, peak in the second week of December (8.4% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (early May) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do American Kestrels leave Tennessee?
American Kestrels never fully leave Tennessee: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of March, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Kestrel in Tennessee?
The American Kestrel is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 8.4% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are American Kestrels seen most often?
By county, Obion County, Grainger County, and White County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Kestrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).