WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult American White Pelican
Photo: Craig K, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American White Pelicans are winter birds in Tennessee: they arrive in late September, peak in early December (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early December. First arrivals late September; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 3.6% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  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: 1.8% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.5% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.9% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.7% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.6% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.2% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.7% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.7% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.3% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.7% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% 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. Houston CountyBest the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 1,234 in all87%
  2. Humphreys CountyBest late October · 233 checklists that week, 5,858 in all54%
  3. Lake CountyBest late October · 123 checklists that week, 5,235 in all53%
  4. Benton CountyBest late October · 87 checklists that week, 2,202 in all53%
  5. Henry CountyBest early November · 147 checklists that week, 5,668 in all45%
  6. Meigs CountyBest late November · 166 checklists that week, 4,866 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tennessee National Wildlife RefugeHumphreys County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 779 in all94%
  2. Hiwassee RefugeMeigs County, best mid November · 20 checklists that week, 626 in all86%
  3. Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (Duck River)Humphreys County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 533 in all84%
  4. Clear Lake (historical)Humphreys County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 849 in all68%
  5. Hiwassee Refuge (Aslinger Hollow)Rhea County, best early December · 26 checklists that week, 370 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (2.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 1.6% of 36828 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 72816 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 76910 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 69071 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 60943 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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
January1.8%2.0%2.5%2.4%
February2.1%1.9%1.5%2.3%
March2.0%2.0%2.3%1.3%
April0.8%0.8%0.5%0.3%
May0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%
June0.4%0.3%0.3%0.5%
July0.7%0.7%0.6%0.7%
August0.5%0.7%0.4%0.7%
September0.8%0.8%1.0%1.1%
October1.3%1.7%2.6%3.2%
November3.7%3.7%3.3%3.7%
December3.1%3.9%3.7%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives late September, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 19 weeks later than Tennessee
  • South Carolina: arrives mid October, 3 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in Tennessee?
American White Pelicans are winter birds in Tennessee: they arrive in late September, peak in early December (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do American White Pelicans leave Tennessee?
Most American White Pelicans have left Tennessee by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in Tennessee?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in early December, on about 3.6% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Houston County, Humphreys County, and Lake County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).