WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Bufflehead
Photo: Robert Harris, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Buffleheads are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 8.4% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 7.6% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.2% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.5% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.2% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.9% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.2% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.6% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.9% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.7% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.9% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.0% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.7% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.7% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.4% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.7% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.0% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.0% 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. Humphreys CountyBest late January · 151 checklists that week, 5,858 in all61%
  2. Henry CountyBest early January · 157 checklists that week, 5,668 in all52%
  3. Clay CountyBest the second week of January · 11 checklists that week, 704 in all40%
  4. Benton CountyBest mid December · 138 checklists that week, 2,202 in all38%
  5. Hardin CountyBest the second week of January · 87 checklists that week, 2,710 in all31%
  6. Lake CountyBest late November · 123 checklists that week, 5,235 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Osceola IslandSullivan County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 769 in all100%
  2. Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (Duck River)Humphreys County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 533 in all96%
  3. Tennessee National Wildlife RefugeHumphreys County, best the second week of December · 24 checklists that week, 779 in all95%
  4. Penal Farm Lake Number TwoShelby County, best early February · 60 checklists that week, 1,572 in all89%
  5. Clear Lake (historical)Humphreys County, best mid December · 25 checklists that week, 849 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.2% 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: 1.9% of 36828 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 72816 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 76910 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 69071 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 60943 checklists11 am: 3.9% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 4.3% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 2.8% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January7.6%7.2%7.5%8.2%
February7.9%5.6%5.2%7.6%
March6.9%6.7%5.9%3.4%
April1.7%1.0%0.4%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0%0%0.1%0.2%
November1.2%5.0%6.7%7.7%
December8.4%8.7%8.0%7.0%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives early November, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Tennessee?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Buffleheads leave Tennessee?
Most Buffleheads have left Tennessee by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Tennessee?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 8.4% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Humphreys County, Henry County, and Clay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).