WhenToBird

Molothrus ater · Icteridae

When Do Brown-headed Cowbirds Arrive in Georgia?

Adult female Brown-headed Cowbird
Photo: Nicole, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brown-headed Cowbirds are in Georgia all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid April (28% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 28% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 4.5% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.7% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.7% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.8% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.0% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.8% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.6% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 22% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 25% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 28% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 28% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 19% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 19% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.0% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.5% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.1% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.7% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.6% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.6% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.3% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.3% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.1% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.6% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.0% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.7% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.3% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.3% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.3% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.3% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.6% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Turner CountyBest mid September · 22 checklists that week, 385 in all74%
  2. Washington CountyBest the second week of April · 11 checklists that week, 523 in all73%
  3. Monroe CountyBest early June · 94 checklists that week, 4,785 in all68%
  4. Pike CountyBest early May · 17 checklists that week, 779 in all62%
  5. Jeff Davis CountyBest late April · 29 checklists that week, 627 in all59%
  6. Jones CountyBest late June · 83 checklists that week, 3,808 in all56%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jekyll Island State Park (Du Bianons Creek)Glynn County, best late March · 49 checklists that week, 945 in all83%
  2. Matt Community ParkForsyth County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 220 in all82%
  3. Rockdale ParkFulton County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 518 in all81%
  4. Pine Lake Park and BeachDeKalb County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 601 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Brown-headed Cowbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (19% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 21% of 16790 checklists7 am: 19% of 73569 checklists8 am: 16% of 104956 checklists9 am: 14% of 96241 checklists10 am: 12% of 81903 checklists11 am: 9.3% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 8.2% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 8.4% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 8.0% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 8.7% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 10% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 12% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 11% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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
January4.5%4.7%4.7%5.0%
February5.8%6.0%6.8%8.6%
March10%14%17%22%
April25%27%28%28%
May27%25%24%22%
June22%19%19%19%
July15%10%7.0%5.5%
August5.1%4.7%4.6%3.6%
September3.2%2.5%3.0%4.3%
October5.3%6.1%6.6%7.0%
November6.7%5.3%5.3%5.3%
December5.0%4.6%4.3%4.6%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives mid March, in the same week than Georgia
  • Alabama: arrives early March, 2 weeks earlier than Georgia
  • Tennessee: arrives mid March, in the same week than Georgia
  • North Carolina: arrives mid March, in the same week than Georgia

Common questions

When do Brown-headed Cowbirds arrive in Georgia?
Brown-headed Cowbirds are in Georgia all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid April (28% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.
When do Brown-headed Cowbirds leave Georgia?
Brown-headed Cowbirds never fully leave Georgia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Brown-headed Cowbird in Georgia?
The Brown-headed Cowbird is reported most often in mid April, on about 28% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Brown-headed Cowbirds seen most often?
By county, Turner County, Washington County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown-headed Cowbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).