WhenToBird

Gray Catbird · Dumetella carolinensis

When Do Catbirds Arrive in Georgia?

Adult Gray Catbird
Photo: Melanie Gaddy, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Gray Catbirds are in Georgia all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of September, peak in early October (28% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: early October. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of September and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 28% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

Catbirds in Georgia, species by species

SpeciesFirst arrivalsCommon byPeakMost gone byPeak %
Gray CatbirdSep 8-14Sep 8-14Oct 1-7Oct 15-2128%
0%10%20%30%40%Gray CatbirdJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  • Gray Catbird
Share of complete checklists reporting each species, by week (4 per month). Gaps: fewer than 10 checklists that week.

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.

Where in Georgia

Best counties for Gray Catbird

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Charlton CountyBest the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 2,627 in all80%
  2. Jeff Davis CountyBest late October · 13 checklists that week, 627 in all74%
  3. Wayne CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 624 in all66%
  4. Dougherty CountyBest the second week of October · 55 checklists that week, 2,804 in all64%
  5. Tattnall CountyBest early October · 19 checklists that week, 650 in all63%
  6. Grady CountyBest the second week of October · 14 checklists that week, 921 in all62%

Common questions

When do catbirds arrive in Georgia?
Gray Catbirds are in Georgia all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of September, peak in early October (28% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.
When do catbirds leave Georgia?
Gray Catbirds never fully leave Georgia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see catbirds in Georgia?
The Gray Catbird is reported most often in early October, on about 28% of Georgia checklists.