WhenToBird

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota · Hirundinidae

When Do Cliff Swallows Arrive in Mississippi?

Adult Cliff Swallow
Photo: Dean Hester, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cliff Swallows reach Mississippi in mid March, are common by the second week of April, peak in late June (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: late June. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 10% of Mississippi checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 4836 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3323 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3400 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4705 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3387 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 3911 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4691 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3409 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 3276 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 3273 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 3552 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 5618 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.3% of 4432 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.6% of 4907 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.5% of 5239 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.1% of 7043 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.5% of 4597 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.2% of 4383 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.9% of 3088 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 3805 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.8% of 2658 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.4% of 2469 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 2112 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 2534 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.6% of 2099 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.8% of 1885 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.9% of 1811 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.6% of 2793 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 2045 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.4% of 2210 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.5% of 2437 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 3415 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.7% of 2837 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 2585 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 2870 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 3610 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 2938 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 3457 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3168 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 3752 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 2847 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2648 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2599 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 3389 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2419 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2526 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 2966 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 4466 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yazoo CountyBest mid July · 12 checklists that week, 440 in all59%
  2. Tishomingo CountyBest mid June · 60 checklists that week, 4,558 in all50%
  3. Tunica CountyBest mid April · 21 checklists that week, 887 in all48%
  4. Itawamba CountyBest the second week of June · 10 checklists that week, 648 in all45%
  5. Tallahatchie CountyBest the second week of May · 10 checklists that week, 303 in all36%
  6. Washington CountyBest early July · 18 checklists that week, 495 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Natchez Trace ParkwayTishomingo County, best mid June · 26 checklists that week, 956 in all91%
  2. Hurricane LakeMadison County, best late May · 45 checklists that week, 1,600 in all36%
  3. Campbell Inside BayouHancock County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 432 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Mississippi, the Cliff Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (54) to judge1 am: too few checklists (48) to judge2 am: too few checklists (28) to judge3 am: too few checklists (60) to judge4 am: too few checklists (114) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1139) to judge6 am: 4.9% of 9054 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 18481 checklists8 am: 3.4% of 17525 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 15482 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 14380 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 12728 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 11009 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 10651 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 10787 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 11221 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 11861 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 8854 checklists6 pm: 3.7% of 6018 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2387) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (114) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (63) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (48) 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%0%
March0.1%0.3%1.0%2.3%
April3.3%5.6%6.5%7.1%
May7.5%9.2%8.9%11%
June9.8%9.4%10%11%
July9.6%9.8%8.9%6.6%
August5.8%4.4%3.5%2.5%
September2.7%0.9%1.1%1.1%
October0.6%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: arrives mid March, in the same week than Mississippi
  • Louisiana: arrives mid March, in the same week than Mississippi
  • Arkansas: arrives late March, 1 week later than Mississippi
  • Georgia: arrives late March, 1 week later than Mississippi

Common questions

When do Cliff Swallows arrive in Mississippi?
Cliff Swallows reach Mississippi in mid March, are common by the second week of April, peak in late June (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Cliff Swallows leave Mississippi?
Most Cliff Swallows have left Mississippi by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Cliff Swallow in Mississippi?
The Cliff Swallow is reported most often in late June, on about 10% of Mississippi checklists.
Where in Mississippi are Cliff Swallows seen most often?
By county, Yazoo County, Tishomingo County, and Tunica County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cliff Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).