WhenToBird

Chaetura pelagica · Apodidae

When Do Chimney Swifts Arrive in Georgia?

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

Chimney Swifts reach Georgia in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (23% 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 23% of Georgia checklists.

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

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.2% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 20% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 23% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 19% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 15% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.4% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.8% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Banks CountyBest mid July · 12 checklists that week, 837 in all60%
  2. Jeff Davis CountyBest late May · 10 checklists that week, 627 in all59%
  3. Coffee CountyBest mid June · 22 checklists that week, 977 in all54%
  4. Berrien CountyBest the second week of June · 46 checklists that week, 1,955 in all50%
  5. Bibb CountyBest mid May · 353 checklists that week, 19,154 in all43%
  6. Bulloch CountyBest the second week of May · 153 checklists that week, 7,019 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Forsyth ParkChatham County, best early May · 40 checklists that week, 512 in all88%
  2. Cranford ParkLowndes County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 265 in all88%
  3. Grant ParkFulton County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 513 in all84%
  4. Chattahoochee River National Recreation AreaCobb County, best early September · 86 checklists that week, 2,731 in all84%
  5. Piedmont LakeFulton County, best the second week of June · 70 checklists that week, 4,171 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Chimney Swift is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (21% 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: 19% of 16790 checklists7 am: 13% of 73569 checklists8 am: 9.9% of 104956 checklists9 am: 7.3% of 96241 checklists10 am: 6.2% of 81903 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 5.2% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 4.8% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 5.3% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 6.4% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 10% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 18% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 25% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%1.5%
April7.2%12%17%20%
May23%23%24%22%
June20%20%19%19%
July18%17%15%13%
August13%11%11%11%
September13%14%16%17%
October12%7.4%3.8%0.7%
November0.1%0.1%0%0%
December0%0%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives late March, in the same week than Georgia
  • Alabama: arrives late March, in the same week than Georgia
  • Tennessee: arrives early April, 1 week later than Georgia
  • North Carolina: arrives early April, 1 week later than Georgia

Common questions

When do Chimney Swifts arrive in Georgia?
Chimney Swifts reach Georgia in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (23% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Chimney Swifts leave Georgia?
Most Chimney Swifts have left Georgia by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Chimney Swift in Georgia?
The Chimney Swift is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 23% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Chimney Swifts seen most often?
By county, Banks County, Jeff Davis County, and Coffee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chimney Swift (counties with at least 200 checklists).