WhenToBird

Setophaga americana · Parulidae

When Do Northern Parulas Arrive in Alabama?

Adult Northern Parula
Photo: Terry Woodward, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Parulas reach Alabama in early March, are common by mid March, peak in early April (17% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: early April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 17% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.9% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.4% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 18% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 10% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.3% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.6% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.8% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.0% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.2% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.3% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.9% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.4% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.4% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.9% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.6% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wilcox CountyBest late March · 11 checklists that week, 564 in all84%
  2. Choctaw CountyBest late May · 90 checklists that week, 554 in all79%
  3. Bullock CountyBest early April · 69 checklists that week, 1,737 in all67%
  4. Perry CountyBest the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 1,066 in all57%
  5. Conecuh CountyBest the second week of May · 14 checklists that week, 780 in all54%
  6. Bibb CountyBest late March · 48 checklists that week, 1,399 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Village PointBaldwin County, best early April · 119 checklists that week, 3,600 in all84%
  2. Town Creek ParkLee County, best late April · 36 checklists that week, 334 in all74%
  3. Wheeler Reservoir Retained Land (Baptizing Branch)Limestone County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 333 in all70%
  4. Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife SanctuaryMadison County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 251 in all67%
  5. J.D. & Annie S. Hays Nature PreserveMadison County, best the second week of April · 43 checklists that week, 1,047 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Northern Parula is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 12% of 26677 checklists7 am: 9.6% of 42599 checklists8 am: 8.0% of 39919 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 34699 checklists10 am: 6.2% of 28551 checklists11 am: 5.4% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 5.2% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 4.8% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 4.5% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 4.8% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 3.2% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
February0%0%0.1%0.1%
March1.3%4.9%9.4%17%
April18%16%14%15%
May13%12%14%12%
June12%10%11%8.3%
July6.6%4.8%3.2%3.0%
August2.5%4.2%5.3%7.9%
September9.4%11%12%11%
October8.4%5.9%3.6%1.0%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives early March, in the same week than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives early March, in the same week than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Alabama

Common questions

When do Northern Parulas arrive in Alabama?
Northern Parulas reach Alabama in early March, are common by mid March, peak in early April (17% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Northern Parulas leave Alabama?
Most Northern Parulas have left Alabama by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Northern Parula in Alabama?
The Northern Parula is reported most often in early April, on about 17% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Northern Parulas seen most often?
By county, Wilcox County, Choctaw County, and Bullock County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Parula (counties with at least 200 checklists).