WhenToBird

Sayornis phoebe · Tyrannidae

When Do Eastern Phoebes Arrive in Texas?

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

Eastern Phoebes are in Texas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early October, peak in the second week of November (34% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of February. In the quietest week (mid April) they are still on about 7.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Fall back byFeb 8-14the second week of February
FewestApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of November. Here all year; numbers build from early October and fall back by the second week of February. Peak: on about 34% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  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: 26% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 24% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 24% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 23% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.2% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.0% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.0% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.8% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.6% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.4% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.3% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.2% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.0% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.4% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.7% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 31% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 32% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 35% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 33% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 32% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. DeWitt CountyBest early December · 68 checklists that week, 4,050 in all77%
  2. Goliad CountyBest late November · 58 checklists that week, 1,922 in all76%
  3. Burleson CountyBest the second week of November · 139 checklists that week, 6,966 in all74%
  4. Lee CountyBest mid November · 36 checklists that week, 2,078 in all73%
  5. Austin CountyBest the second week of December · 78 checklists that week, 7,190 in all71%
  6. Red River CountyBest late September · 24 checklists that week, 1,179 in all70%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shelton Ranches Reservoir Number 2Kerr County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 980 in all100%
  2. Grothaus LakeBexar County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 408 in all97%
  3. Sulphur SpringBrazos County, best mid October · 23 checklists that week, 1,001 in all95%
  4. University of Texas at Austin Brackenridge Field LaboratoryTravis County, best mid November · 21 checklists that week, 948 in all95%
  5. Alazan Bayou Wildlife Management AreaNacogdoches County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 597 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Eastern Phoebe is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (25% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 21% of 74687 checklists7 am: 26% of 285131 checklists8 am: 24% of 329960 checklists9 am: 21% of 267889 checklists10 am: 19% of 218205 checklists11 am: 17% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 16% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 16% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 16% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 16% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 14% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 10% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 7.9% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 5.6% 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
January26%24%24%24%
February24%21%19%22%
March23%20%16%12%
April9.2%8.0%7.0%7.8%
May11%12%13%12%
June13%13%12%11%
July11%9.6%9.4%9.3%
August9.2%9.0%9.4%9.7%
September12%13%14%17%
October21%26%31%33%
November35%32%35%33%
December31%32%32%29%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early September, 4 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Texas

Common questions

When do Eastern Phoebes arrive in Texas?
Eastern Phoebes are in Texas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early October, peak in the second week of November (34% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of February. In the quietest week (mid April) they are still on about 7.6% of checklists.
When do Eastern Phoebes leave Texas?
Eastern Phoebes never fully leave Texas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of February, but some are still reported in every week, about 7.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Phoebe in Texas?
The Eastern Phoebe is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 34% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Eastern Phoebes seen most often?
By county, DeWitt County, Goliad County, and Burleson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Phoebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).