WhenToBird

Tringa melanoleuca · Scolopacidae

Greater Yellowlegs: When and Where to See It

Adult Greater Yellowlegs
Photo: Irina Mitine, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Greater Yellowlegs reaches California first, around mid June, and West Virginia last, around early August.

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.9% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.6% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.4% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.2% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.1% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.7% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.8% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.3% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.1% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.5% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.2% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.6% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.7% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.3% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.5% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.3% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.1% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.9% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.1% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.4% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.3% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.7% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.0% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.7% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
ArkansasSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 8-14May 8-145.5%
TennesseeSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 8-14May 15-213.7%
VirginiaSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 15-21May 15-213.7%
KansasSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 8-14May 8-1411%
NebraskaSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 15-21May 8-1412%
ColoradoSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 8-14May 8-147.3%
KentuckySummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 15-21May 22-314.2%
MarylandSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 15-21May 15-214.7%
Rhode IslandSummer visitorMar 15-21Aug 8-14Nov 8-1418%
IndianaSummer visitorMar 15-21Apr 15-21May 8-146.7%
MissouriSummer visitorMar 15-21Apr 8-14May 15-215.8%
WyomingSummer visitorMar 15-21Apr 8-14May 1-75.0%
DelawareAll year, most in springMar 22-31Apr 15-21May 8-1419%
South DakotaSummer visitorMar 22-31Apr 15-21May 8-1412%
IowaSummer visitorMar 22-31Apr 15-21May 15-219.5%
IllinoisSummer visitorMar 22-31Apr 15-21May 8-145.1%
District of ColumbiaSummer visitorMar 22-31Apr 22-30May 15-212.5%
AlaskaSummer visitorApr 1-7Apr 22-30Sep 22-3018%
MichiganSummer visitorApr 1-7Apr 22-30May 15-215.6%
MinnesotaSummer visitorApr 1-7Apr 22-30May 15-216.6%
WisconsinSummer visitorApr 1-7Apr 22-30May 15-217.1%
PennsylvaniaSummer visitorApr 1-7Apr 22-30May 15-212.9%
CaliforniaSummer visitorJun 15-21Aug 22-31Apr 22-309.6%
MassachusettsSummer visitorJun 22-30Aug 22-31Nov 8-1412%
New JerseySummer visitorJun 22-30Aug 22-31Nov 15-2110%
OregonSummer visitorJun 22-30Aug 22-31Nov 15-2111%
ConnecticutSummer visitorJun 22-30Aug 15-21Nov 8-149.3%
IdahoSummer visitorJun 22-30Aug 15-21Nov 8-144.9%
MaineSummer visitorJul 1-7Aug 22-31Nov 8-1412%
MontanaSummer visitorJul 1-7Aug 15-21Nov 1-78.2%
NevadaSummer visitorJul 1-7Sep 1-7Apr 22-308.2%
WashingtonSummer visitorJul 1-7Aug 22-31May 8-147.8%
New YorkSummer visitorJul 1-7Aug 22-31Nov 8-146.4%
ArizonaSummer visitorJul 1-7Sep 22-30Apr 8-144.6%
North CarolinaSummer visitorJul 1-7Aug 8-14Feb 8-143.2%
New HampshireSummer visitorJul 8-14Sep 1-7Nov 8-146.1%
OhioSummer visitorJul 8-14Aug 22-31Nov 1-76.4%
South CarolinaSummer visitorJul 8-14Apr 8-14May 15-214.6%
UtahSummer visitorJul 8-14Sep 8-14Jan 8-144.4%
OklahomaSummer visitorJul 15-21Apr 8-14May 8-147.7%
VermontSummer visitorJul 22-31Sep 1-7Nov 8-145.8%
GeorgiaSummer visitorJul 22-31Apr 8-14May 8-142.1%
North DakotaWinter visitorJun 22-30Oct 8-14Nov 1-79.2%
FloridaWinter visitorJul 1-7Nov 15-21May 1-76.1%
TexasWinter visitorJul 8-14Nov 8-14May 1-78.1%
LouisianaWinter visitorJul 8-14Nov 1-7May 8-146.5%
AlabamaWinter visitorJul 8-14Nov 1-7May 8-144.4%
MississippiWinter visitorJul 8-14Nov 1-7May 8-144.5%
New MexicoWinter visitorJul 22-31Mar 22-31May 1-72.3%
West VirginiaWinter visitorAug 1-7Oct 22-31Nov 15-211.9%

Winter visitor in: Florida, New Mexico

Passes through: Delaware

Summer visitor in: Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Kentucky, Maryland, Indiana, Missouri, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, District of Columbia, Alaska, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia, Rhode Island