WhenToBird

Sayornis phoebe · Tyrannidae

When Do Eastern Phoebes Arrive in Georgia?

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

Eastern Phoebes are in Georgia all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in late October (49% of checklists), and fall back by early January. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 17% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 22-31late October
Fall back byJan 1-7early January
FewestAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: late October. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by early January. Peak: on about 49% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 34% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 32% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 32% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 30% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 36% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 35% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 34% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 32% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 30% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 31% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 31% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 29% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 28% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 27% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 27% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 25% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 18% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 27% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 35% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 40% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 43% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 48% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 50% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 48% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 48% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 42% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 42% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 41% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 39% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 37% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 38% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 36% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upson CountyBest the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 1,067 in all90%
  2. Berrien CountyBest late October · 38 checklists that week, 1,955 in all85%
  3. Mitchell CountyBest early November · 10 checklists that week, 428 in all84%
  4. Jeff Davis CountyBest the second week of December · 12 checklists that week, 627 in all81%
  5. Stewart CountyBest late January · 21 checklists that week, 1,016 in all79%
  6. Chattahoochee CountyBest early November · 15 checklists that week, 448 in all78%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huie Land Application FacilityClayton County, best mid October · 40 checklists that week, 1,586 in all96%
  2. Allatoona Recreation Area (Vineyard Mountain)Bartow County, best early October · 43 checklists that week, 726 in all95%
  3. George Pierce ParkGwinnett County, best the second week of October · 46 checklists that week, 3,008 in all95%
  4. Cauley CreekFulton County, best the second week of October · 26 checklists that week, 1,380 in all95%
  5. Mabry FarmCobb County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 191 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Eastern Phoebe is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (39% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 34% of 16790 checklists7 am: 38% of 73569 checklists8 am: 40% of 104956 checklists9 am: 37% of 96241 checklists10 am: 33% of 81903 checklists11 am: 30% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 28% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 28% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 28% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 27% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 27% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 24% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 21% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 16% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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
January34%32%32%30%
February30%27%28%35%
March36%35%34%32%
April29%30%31%31%
May29%29%28%28%
June27%27%27%25%
July22%20%18%18%
August17%16%19%19%
September23%27%35%40%
October43%48%50%48%
November48%42%42%41%
December39%37%38%36%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Georgia
  • Alabama: arrives late September, 1 week later than Georgia
  • Tennessee: arrives mid September, in the same week than Georgia
  • North Carolina: arrives mid September, in the same week than Georgia

Common questions

When do Eastern Phoebes arrive in Georgia?
Eastern Phoebes are in Georgia all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in late October (49% of checklists), and fall back by early January. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 17% of checklists.
When do Eastern Phoebes leave Georgia?
Eastern Phoebes never fully leave Georgia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early January, but some are still reported in every week, about 17% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Phoebe in Georgia?
The Eastern Phoebe is reported most often in late October, on about 49% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Eastern Phoebes seen most often?
By county, Upson County, Berrien County, and Mitchell County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Phoebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).