WhenToBird

Pipilo erythrophthalmus · Passerellidae

When Do Eastern Towhees Arrive in Mississippi?

Adult male Eastern Towhee
Photo: Jonathan Layman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Eastern Towhee is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 26% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 13% in its quietest week (early December).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 26% of Mississippi checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 15% of 4836 checklistsJan 8-14: 15% of 3323 checklistsJan 15-21: 15% of 3400 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 4705 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 3387 checklistsFeb 8-14: 19% of 3911 checklistsFeb 15-21: 18% of 4691 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 3409 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 3276 checklistsMar 8-14: 21% of 3273 checklistsMar 15-21: 23% of 3552 checklistsMar 22-31: 26% of 5618 checklistsApr 1-7: 25% of 4432 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 4907 checklistsApr 15-21: 26% of 5239 checklistsApr 22-30: 24% of 7043 checklistsMay 1-7: 25% of 4597 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 4383 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 3088 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 3805 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 2658 checklistsJun 8-14: 24% of 2469 checklistsJun 15-21: 24% of 2112 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 2534 checklistsJul 1-7: 24% of 2099 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 1885 checklistsJul 15-21: 20% of 1811 checklistsJul 22-31: 21% of 2793 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 2045 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 2210 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 2437 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 3415 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 2837 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 2585 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 2870 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 3610 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 2938 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 3457 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 3168 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 3752 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 2847 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 2648 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 2599 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 3389 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 2419 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 2526 checklistsDec 15-21: 15% of 2966 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 4466 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Simpson CountyBest early February · 15 checklists that week, 637 in all69%
  2. Stone CountyBest late March · 13 checklists that week, 371 in all65%
  3. Monroe CountyBest the second week of May · 10 checklists that week, 581 in all63%
  4. Union CountyBest late March · 11 checklists that week, 508 in all62%
  5. Jones CountyBest late September · 22 checklists that week, 816 in all60%
  6. Scott CountyBest late April · 14 checklists that week, 308 in all60%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plymouth BluffLowndes County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 333 in all87%
  2. Bouie RiverForrest County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 746 in all77%
  3. Chain ParkForrest County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 290 in all72%
  4. De Soto National ForestHarrison County, best late April · 27 checklists that week, 266 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In Mississippi, the Eastern Towhee is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (27% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (54) to judge1 am: too few checklists (48) to judge2 am: too few checklists (28) to judge3 am: too few checklists (60) to judge4 am: too few checklists (114) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1139) to judge6 am: 28% of 9054 checklists7 am: 26% of 18481 checklists8 am: 25% of 17525 checklists9 am: 21% of 15482 checklists10 am: 17% of 14380 checklists11 am: 16% of 12728 checklists12 pm: 15% of 11009 checklists1 pm: 14% of 10651 checklists2 pm: 15% of 10787 checklists3 pm: 15% of 11221 checklists4 pm: 17% of 11861 checklists5 pm: 19% of 8854 checklists6 pm: 17% of 6018 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2387) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (114) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (63) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (48) 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
January15%15%15%15%
February17%19%18%20%
March21%21%23%26%
April25%27%26%24%
May25%24%25%24%
June23%24%24%21%
July24%21%20%21%
August19%18%15%14%
September14%14%14%16%
October15%17%17%17%
November16%14%14%13%
December14%13%15%14%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: year-round, peaks early June
  • Louisiana: all year, most in summer, peaks the second week of June
  • Arkansas: summer visitor, peaks early April
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Eastern Towhees arrive in Mississippi?
The Eastern Towhee is in Mississippi all year. It turns up on about 26% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 13% in its quietest week (early December).
When do Eastern Towhees leave Mississippi?
The Eastern Towhee does not leave Mississippi: it is reported all year, from 13% of checklists in early December to 26% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Towhee in Mississippi?
The Eastern Towhee is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 26% of Mississippi checklists.
Where in Mississippi are Eastern Towhees seen most often?
By county, Simpson County, Stone County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Towhee (counties with at least 200 checklists).