WhenToBird

Chaetura pelagica · Apodidae

When Do Chimney Swifts Arrive in Florida?

Adult Chimney Swift
Photo: Ali Campbell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Chimney Swifts reach Florida in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (16% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals late March; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 16% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.0% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.1% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.4% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.4% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.6% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.2% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.7% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.4% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.6% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.8% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.9% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. DeSoto CountyBest late May · 50 checklists that week, 2,154 in all46%
  2. Union CountyBest the second week of May · 17 checklists that week, 661 in all36%
  3. Columbia CountyBest mid July · 66 checklists that week, 5,568 in all36%
  4. Santa Rosa CountyBest late May · 326 checklists that week, 15,001 in all32%
  5. Seminole CountyBest mid May · 521 checklists that week, 36,521 in all31%
  6. Escambia CountyBest the second week of May · 479 checklists that week, 25,457 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake DestinySeminole County, best early June · 23 checklists that week, 1,410 in all100%
  2. Orlando ParkBrevard County, best the second week of May · 26 checklists that week, 564 in all88%
  3. Holiday HillDuval County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 739 in all88%
  4. Tom Renick ParkVolusia County, best mid May · 31 checklists that week, 1,941 in all79%
  5. Cady Way ParkOrange County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 1,122 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Chimney Swift is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 11% of 94591 checklists7 am: 7.4% of 296183 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 319987 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 254830 checklists10 am: 3.0% of 209480 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 2.5% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 6.3% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 11% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0.1%0.1%0%
March0.1%0.1%0.2%1.5%
April6.0%9.1%11%13%
May16%16%17%15%
June14%13%13%12%
July13%12%12%11%
August10%10%9.4%9.4%
September9.6%9.2%8.7%7.4%
October5.6%4.8%2.9%1.0%
November0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
December0.1%0%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives late March, in the same week than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives late March, in the same week than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives late March, in the same week than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Chimney Swifts arrive in Florida?
Chimney Swifts reach Florida in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (16% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Chimney Swifts leave Florida?
Most Chimney Swifts have left Florida by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Chimney Swift in Florida?
The Chimney Swift is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 16% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Chimney Swifts seen most often?
By county, DeSoto County, Union County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chimney Swift (counties with at least 200 checklists).