WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Cedar Waxwing
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cedar Waxwings are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in mid November (17% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (early August) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Fall back byDec 22-31late December
FewestAug 1-7early August

Best: mid November. Here all year; numbers build from early November and fall back by late December. Peak: on about 17% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 8.6% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.9% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.4% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.7% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.2% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.0% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.4% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.0% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.7% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.7% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.5% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.5% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.8% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.4% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.6% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.4% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.0% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.4% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.9% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.3% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.4% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.9% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.2% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.5% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.0% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.7% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.2% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.1% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.7% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.9% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.4% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.7% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.4% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.6% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% 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 late November · 29 checklists that week, 1,234 in all65%
  2. Campbell CountyBest mid October · 55 checklists that week, 3,619 in all42%
  3. Monroe CountyBest the second week of November · 94 checklists that week, 5,763 in all39%
  4. Perry CountyBest mid November · 39 checklists that week, 3,047 in all37%
  5. Johnson CountyBest late September · 68 checklists that week, 1,558 in all35%
  6. Unicoi CountyBest the second week of September · 16 checklists that week, 1,598 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rock SpringHamilton County, best late April · 69 checklists that week, 1,954 in all87%
  2. River Bluff Small Wild AreaAnderson County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 1,201 in all75%
  3. Edwin WarnerDavidson County, best the second week of November · 29 checklists that week, 836 in all69%
  4. North Cherokee National Forest & Wildlife Management AreaCarter County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 410 in all64%
  5. Walker Springs ParkKnox County, best mid November · 25 checklists that week, 1,326 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 14% of 36828 checklists7 am: 12% of 72816 checklists8 am: 10% of 76910 checklists9 am: 8.2% of 69071 checklists10 am: 7.3% of 60943 checklists11 am: 6.7% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 6.5% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 6.2% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 7.1% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 7.8% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 6.9% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 6.5% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 6.6% 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
January8.6%7.9%6.4%6.7%
February6.2%5.0%4.4%5.0%
March5.0%4.7%5.7%6.5%
April7.5%7.8%8.4%9.6%
May12%15%17%10%
June6.4%6.0%5.4%4.9%
July5.3%4.4%3.9%3.5%
August3.2%3.5%4.0%4.7%
September6.2%7.1%7.7%6.9%
October7.4%6.7%6.4%9.6%
November15%17%18%17%
December14%14%12%13%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, 22 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives late April, 23 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Tennessee?
Cedar Waxwings are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in mid November (17% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (early August) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Tennessee?
Cedar Waxwings never fully leave Tennessee: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late December, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Tennessee?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in mid November, on about 17% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Houston County, Campbell County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).