WhenToBird

Vireo solitarius · Vireonidae

When Do Blue-headed Vireos Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Blue-headed Vireo
Photo: Gordon Johnston, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-headed Vireos reach North Carolina in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in mid April (8.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: mid April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 8.6% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.9% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.8% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.3% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.3% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.3% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.9% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.2% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.6% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.8% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.7% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.9% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.7% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.4% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.8% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.2% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.1% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.2% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.2% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.0% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.7% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.4% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.5% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.2% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.4% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.7% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.3% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.7% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.8% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.1% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Graham CountyBest mid April · 98 checklists that week, 2,381 in all45%
  2. Avery CountyBest early May · 158 checklists that week, 8,724 in all45%
  3. Alleghany CountyBest the second week of April · 58 checklists that week, 2,311 in all44%
  4. Macon CountyBest the second week of May · 287 checklists that week, 7,412 in all39%
  5. Transylvania CountyBest the second week of April · 494 checklists that week, 18,992 in all38%
  6. Madison CountyBest the second week of April · 165 checklists that week, 6,254 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Trout Lake (northeast)Watauga County, best mid June · 22 checklists that week, 322 in all100%
  2. Beetree GapBuncombe County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 145 in all84%
  3. Craggy FlatsBuncombe County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 209 in all83%
  4. Cradle of Forestry in America National Historic AreaTransylvania County, best mid April · 27 checklists that week, 393 in all83%
  5. Ravenel LakeMacon County, best the second week of May · 30 checklists that week, 518 in all81%
  6. Cascade FallsWilkes County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 206 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Blue-headed Vireo is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (5.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 5.1% of 50335 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 150152 checklists8 am: 5.6% of 182902 checklists9 am: 5.5% of 158933 checklists10 am: 4.8% of 128398 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 3.7% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 3.1% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January1.3%0.9%1.0%0.9%
February0.7%0.5%0.5%0.7%
March0.8%1.4%3.3%5.9%
April7.8%8.3%9.3%8.3%
May6.9%6.2%6.6%5.8%
June6.1%6.7%6.9%5.7%
July6.1%6.0%5.4%4.8%
August3.2%3.1%3.2%3.2%
September4.0%4.7%5.4%5.5%
October5.2%6.4%6.7%6.3%
November3.7%1.8%2.1%1.5%
December1.6%1.6%2.0%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives early October, 21 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives mid March, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives early April, 3 weeks later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Blue-headed Vireos arrive in North Carolina?
Blue-headed Vireos reach North Carolina in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in mid April (8.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Blue-headed Vireos leave North Carolina?
Most Blue-headed Vireos have left North Carolina by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Blue-headed Vireo in North Carolina?
The Blue-headed Vireo is reported most often in mid April, on about 8.6% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Blue-headed Vireos seen most often?
By county, Graham County, Avery County, and Alleghany County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-headed Vireo (counties with at least 200 checklists).