WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Hermit Thrush
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of November (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 14% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.3% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.5% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.9% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.6% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.5% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.3% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.8% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.0% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.4% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.7% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.0% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.5% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.6% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.2% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.2% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.3% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.1% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.6% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% 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. Perry CountyBest mid November · 39 checklists that week, 3,047 in all55%
  2. Chester CountyBest early December · 10 checklists that week, 302 in all50%
  3. Lewis CountyBest the second week of November · 15 checklists that week, 1,364 in all46%
  4. Houston CountyBest mid November · 17 checklists that week, 1,234 in all45%
  5. Union CountyBest the second week of November · 39 checklists that week, 2,525 in all42%
  6. Giles CountyBest the second week of November · 13 checklists that week, 803 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Williams Bend)Knox County, best early November · 29 checklists that week, 684 in all79%
  2. Walker Springs ParkKnox County, best early December · 20 checklists that week, 1,326 in all76%
  3. Baylor LakeHamilton County, best late January · 27 checklists that week, 423 in all73%
  4. Rock SpringHamilton County, best the second week of December · 30 checklists that week, 1,954 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (5.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 3.9% of 36828 checklists7 am: 5.2% of 72816 checklists8 am: 5.6% of 76910 checklists9 am: 5.6% of 69071 checklists10 am: 5.3% of 60943 checklists11 am: 5.5% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 5.5% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 5.0% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 2.8% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 0.8% 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
January9.3%8.5%8.9%8.6%
February7.5%6.3%5.8%5.0%
March5.4%5.7%6.0%6.5%
April6.6%5.2%3.2%1.2%
May0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.2%1.3%4.1%9.6%
November15%15%13%12%
December11%12%14%11%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 21 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in Tennessee?
Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of November (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave Tennessee?
Most Hermit Thrushes have left Tennessee by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Hermit Thrush in Tennessee?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 14% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Perry County, Chester County, and Lewis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).