WhenToBird

Sayornis phoebe · Tyrannidae

When Do Eastern Phoebes Arrive in Tennessee?

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

Eastern Phoebes are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (33% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 9.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byNov 1-7early November
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by early November. Peak: on about 33% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 11% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 10% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.3% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.1% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 23% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 22% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 21% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 20% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 24% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 35% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 33% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 19% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 15% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 17397 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lewis CountyBest late September · 45 checklists that week, 1,364 in all71%
  2. Perry CountyBest the second week of June · 31 checklists that week, 3,047 in all69%
  3. Houston CountyBest the second week of October · 19 checklists that week, 1,234 in all66%
  4. Roane CountyBest the second week of October · 136 checklists that week, 6,746 in all65%
  5. Grainger CountyBest early October · 67 checklists that week, 3,030 in all61%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of October · 46 checklists that week, 1,973 in all57%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clark Center ParkAnderson County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 257 in all88%
  2. Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area (East Fork Valley)Roane County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 234 in all88%
  3. Baylor LakeHamilton County, best early November · 27 checklists that week, 423 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Eastern Phoebe is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (224) to judge1 am: too few checklists (253) to judge2 am: too few checklists (245) to judge3 am: too few checklists (267) to judge4 am: too few checklists (582) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5688) to judge6 am: 20% of 36828 checklists7 am: 23% of 72816 checklists8 am: 23% of 76910 checklists9 am: 22% of 69071 checklists10 am: 20% of 60943 checklists11 am: 19% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 17% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 15% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 15% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 15% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 15% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 15% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 15% of 20977 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (12529) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4456) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1056) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (445) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (252) 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
January11%11%10%10%
February11%8.3%9.1%15%
March21%24%24%24%
April23%23%23%22%
May21%21%20%20%
June20%22%22%20%
July18%15%14%14%
August13%13%13%13%
September14%18%24%29%
October35%33%29%26%
November23%19%17%17%
December14%15%15%13%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives mid February, 20 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives mid September, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives late September, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives early March, 22 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Eastern Phoebes arrive in Tennessee?
Eastern Phoebes are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (33% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 9.3% of checklists.
When do Eastern Phoebes leave Tennessee?
Eastern Phoebes never fully leave Tennessee: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early November, but some are still reported in every week, about 9.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Phoebe in Tennessee?
The Eastern Phoebe is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 33% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Eastern Phoebes seen most often?
By county, Lewis County, Perry County, and Houston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Phoebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).