WhenToBird

Sayornis phoebe · Tyrannidae

When Do Eastern Phoebes Arrive in Florida?

Adult Eastern Phoebe
Photo: Thomas Koffel, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Phoebes are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early November (37% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMar 1-7early March

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early March. Peak: on about 37% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 27% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 25% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 22% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.2% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.9% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.5% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 37% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 38% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 36% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 36% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 34% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 32% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 31% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 82405 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 Florida 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Columbia CountyBest early November · 95 checklists that week, 5,568 in all73%
  2. Madison CountyBest late October · 36 checklists that week, 1,783 in all70%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest late October · 105 checklists that week, 4,323 in all69%
  4. Marion CountyBest early November · 1115 checklists that week, 53,380 in all69%
  5. Gilchrist CountyBest late October · 50 checklists that week, 1,979 in all66%
  6. Glades CountyBest the second week of November · 35 checklists that week, 6,182 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Barr Hammock PreserveAlachua County, best late November · 25 checklists that week, 410 in all98%
  2. Ferndale PreserveLake County, best early December · 22 checklists that week, 427 in all97%
  3. Ocala Regional SportsplexMarion County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 290 in all97%
  4. Lake Henrietta ParkLeon County, best mid November · 23 checklists that week, 1,017 in all97%
  5. Lake DestinySeminole County, best early November · 24 checklists that week, 1,410 in all97%
  6. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (southeast)Alachua County, best early November · 24 checklists that week, 1,127 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Eastern Phoebe is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (18% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 13% of 94591 checklists7 am: 18% of 296183 checklists8 am: 18% of 319987 checklists9 am: 17% of 254830 checklists10 am: 16% of 209480 checklists11 am: 14% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 14% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 15% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 15% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 15% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 13% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 7.3% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January27%27%27%25%
February24%22%19%21%
March19%14%8.2%2.9%
April0.4%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0.1%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.5%
October3.5%15%30%37%
November38%38%36%36%
December34%32%31%29%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives early October, in the same week than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Florida

Common questions

When do Eastern Phoebes arrive in Florida?
Eastern Phoebes are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early November (37% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.
When do Eastern Phoebes leave Florida?
Most Eastern Phoebes have left Florida by early March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Phoebe in Florida?
The Eastern Phoebe is reported most often in early November, on about 37% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Eastern Phoebes seen most often?
By county, Columbia County, Madison County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Phoebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).