WhenToBird

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota · Hirundinidae

When Do Cliff Swallows Arrive in Texas?

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

Cliff Swallows reach Texas in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in mid May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: mid May. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 11% of Texas 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. 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: 0.1% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.9% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.0% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.7% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.9% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.6% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.9% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.8% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.3% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.8% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.0% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.6% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.5% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.9% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.6% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.7% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.1% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.2% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hansford CountyBest the second week of May · 11 checklists that week, 519 in all60%
  2. Freestone CountyBest mid May · 18 checklists that week, 1,088 in all56%
  3. Baylor CountyBest the second week of June · 11 checklists that week, 537 in all50%
  4. Garza CountyBest mid May · 14 checklists that week, 888 in all50%
  5. Goliad CountyBest late May · 72 checklists that week, 1,922 in all50%
  6. DeWitt CountyBest the second week of May · 94 checklists that week, 4,050 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Somerville Trailway State ParkLee County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 125 in all98%
  2. Granger Recreation AreaWilliamson County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 689 in all93%
  3. Barkley MeadowsTravis County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 724 in all90%
  4. BILL McALISTER PARKLubbock County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 1,646 in all89%
  5. Trinity River Mountain Creek PreserveDallas County, best the second week of May · 31 checklists that week, 415 in all88%
  6. White Oak ParkwayHarris County, best mid June · 52 checklists that week, 2,952 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Cliff Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 7.9% of 74687 checklists7 am: 5.1% of 285131 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 329960 checklists9 am: 3.6% of 267889 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 218205 checklists11 am: 3.2% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 2.9% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 5.3% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 6.0% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
March0.5%1.2%2.5%3.9%
April6.0%6.7%7.9%8.6%
May9.9%11%11%12%
June11%11%11%9.8%
July9.3%8.8%8.0%6.6%
August5.5%4.9%4.6%3.7%
September4.1%3.2%2.4%1.9%
October1.0%0.9%0.7%0.3%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Texas

Common questions

When do Cliff Swallows arrive in Texas?
Cliff Swallows reach Texas in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in mid May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Cliff Swallows leave Texas?
Most Cliff Swallows have left Texas by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Cliff Swallow in Texas?
The Cliff Swallow is reported most often in mid May, on about 11% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Cliff Swallows seen most often?
By county, Hansford County, Freestone County, and Baylor County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cliff Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).