WhenToBird

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota · Hirundinidae

When Do Cliff Swallows Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Cliff Swallows reach North Carolina in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 2.8% of North Carolina checklists.

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

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.7% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.3% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.4% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.3% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yadkin CountyBest the second week of May · 26 checklists that week, 1,641 in all23%
  2. Martin CountyBest late May · 69 checklists that week, 1,719 in all21%
  3. Anson CountyBest the second week of August · 14 checklists that week, 2,224 in all20%
  4. Davie CountyBest the second week of June · 63 checklists that week, 1,530 in all19%
  5. Cherokee CountyBest mid June · 68 checklists that week, 3,235 in all16%
  6. Northampton CountyBest mid April · 25 checklists that week, 1,690 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Orange County Water and Sewer Authority PropertyOrange County, best mid June · 30 checklists that week, 2,212 in all85%
  2. City of Raleigh Greenway - Neuse River GreenwayWake County, best the second week of May · 38 checklists that week, 543 in all84%
  3. Lower Haw River State Natural Area (southeast)Chatham County, best late April · 36 checklists that week, 427 in all81%
  4. Soloman LakeForsyth County, best late May · 37 checklists that week, 802 in all80%
  5. Long Valley BranchBuncombe County, best late May · 48 checklists that week, 1,413 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Cliff Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 1.5% of 50335 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 150152 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 182902 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.1%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
April1.0%1.7%1.9%2.3%
May2.9%2.6%3.0%2.7%
June2.4%2.1%2.3%2.1%
July2.1%1.9%1.6%1.5%
August1.5%1.1%0.5%0.3%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives mid April, 2 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Cliff Swallows arrive in North Carolina?
Cliff Swallows reach North Carolina in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Cliff Swallows leave North Carolina?
Most Cliff Swallows have left North Carolina by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of August.
When is the best time to see a Cliff Swallow in North Carolina?
The Cliff Swallow is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 2.8% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Cliff Swallows seen most often?
By county, Yadkin County, Martin County, and Anson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cliff Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).