WhenToBird

Sturnus vulgaris · Sturnidae

When Do European Starlings Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult female European Starling
Photo: egorbirder, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The European Starling is in Tennessee all year. It turns up on about 35% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 22% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

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

Best: early April. Here all year. Peak: on about 35% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  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 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 29% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 29% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 30% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 33% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 33% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 34% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 36% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 35% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 34% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 32% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 34% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 35% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 35% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 35% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 34% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 31% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 30% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 29% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 26% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 25% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 23% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 23% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 21% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 24% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 25% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 27% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 28% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 26% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 26% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 27% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 27% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% 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. Giles CountyBest late March · 19 checklists that week, 803 in all69%
  2. Cannon CountyBest the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 995 in all63%
  3. Grainger CountyBest the second week of June · 62 checklists that week, 3,030 in all63%
  4. Monroe CountyBest the second week of November · 94 checklists that week, 5,763 in all63%
  5. Robertson CountyBest late May · 50 checklists that week, 1,283 in all62%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest late May · 29 checklists that week, 1,973 in all61%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lakeshore ParkKnox County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 1,489 in all94%
  2. McCallie LakeHamilton County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 176 in all93%
  3. Harlinsdale FarmWilliamson County, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 839 in all93%
  4. Camp JordanHamilton County, best the second week of March · 34 checklists that week, 696 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the European Starling is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (38% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 38% of 36828 checklists7 am: 38% of 72816 checklists8 am: 35% of 76910 checklists9 am: 31% of 69071 checklists10 am: 27% of 60943 checklists11 am: 25% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 24% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 23% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 23% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 25% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 26% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 27% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 26% 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
January26%27%27%29%
February29%29%30%33%
March33%33%34%36%
April35%34%32%34%
May35%35%35%34%
June33%31%30%29%
July26%25%25%24%
August23%24%24%23%
September22%22%21%23%
October24%25%27%26%
November28%26%26%25%
December26%27%27%27%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks early April
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks early May
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks late April
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do European Starlings arrive in Tennessee?
The European Starling is in Tennessee all year. It turns up on about 35% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 22% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do European Starlings leave Tennessee?
The European Starling does not leave Tennessee: it is reported all year, from 22% of checklists in the second week of September to 35% in early April.
When is the best time to see a European Starling in Tennessee?
The European Starling is reported most often in early April, on about 35% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are European Starlings seen most often?
By county, Giles County, Cannon County, and Grainger County have the highest peak reporting rates for the European Starling (counties with at least 200 checklists).