WhenToBird

Chaetura pelagica · Apodidae

When Do Chimney Swifts Arrive in Kentucky?

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

Chimney Swifts reach Kentucky in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in mid May (25% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: mid May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 25% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  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 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.2% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.4% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 22% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 27% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 20% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 24% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 23% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 19% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.1% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Campbell CountyBest the second week of July · 99 checklists that week, 6,774 in all69%
  2. Floyd CountyBest early May · 12 checklists that week, 342 in all59%
  3. McCracken CountyBest mid July · 56 checklists that week, 4,610 in all48%
  4. Boyle CountyBest mid July · 31 checklists that week, 883 in all46%
  5. Johnson CountyBest late June · 16 checklists that week, 206 in all43%
  6. Whitley CountyBest mid September · 21 checklists that week, 986 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Willow LakeJefferson County, best mid May · 48 checklists that week, 1,890 in all84%
  2. Draut ParkJefferson County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 927 in all77%
  3. Lexington CemeteryFayette County, best late May · 36 checklists that week, 1,748 in all73%
  4. Veterns ParkFayette County, best late June · 28 checklists that week, 1,003 in all70%
  5. Alexandria Community ParkCampbell County, best the second week of May · 26 checklists that week, 262 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Chimney Swift is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 12% of 8227 checklists7 am: 13% of 24608 checklists8 am: 13% of 36577 checklists9 am: 9.8% of 34626 checklists10 am: 7.6% of 28796 checklists11 am: 6.8% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 6.5% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 6.2% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 6.0% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 6.5% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 7.7% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 12% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 19% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 29% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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%0.1%
April0.6%2.2%8.4%17%
May22%24%27%25%
June22%20%20%23%
July22%24%23%22%
August19%19%18%17%
September17%17%20%20%
October16%7.1%1.6%0.2%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Chimney Swifts arrive in Kentucky?
Chimney Swifts reach Kentucky in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in mid May (25% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Chimney Swifts leave Kentucky?
Most Chimney Swifts have left Kentucky 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 Kentucky?
The Chimney Swift is reported most often in mid May, on about 25% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Chimney Swifts seen most often?
By county, Campbell County, Floyd County, and McCracken County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chimney Swift (counties with at least 200 checklists).