WhenToBird

Stelgidopteryx serripennis · Hirundinidae

When Do Northern Rough-winged Swallows Arrive in Georgia?

Adult Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Georgia in early March, are common by mid March, peak in mid April (21% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: mid April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 21% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.3% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 16% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 18% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 21% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 21% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 22% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 20% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 19% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.3% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.3% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.9% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.2% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.0% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.2% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.2% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.5% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.1% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.6% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.3% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.6% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dooly CountyBest mid August · 80 checklists that week, 1,911 in all59%
  2. Mitchell CountyBest mid August · 45 checklists that week, 428 in all50%
  3. Bartow CountyBest late April · 575 checklists that week, 11,762 in all45%
  4. Hall CountyBest late May · 213 checklists that week, 7,928 in all45%
  5. Clay CountyBest late April · 41 checklists that week, 775 in all43%
  6. Greene CountyBest mid April · 80 checklists that week, 2,748 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rockdale ParkFulton County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 518 in all95%
  2. Rendering Plant LakeForsyth County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 268 in all95%
  3. Watershed Y17 LakeGwinnett County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 1,631 in all94%
  4. Turtle CreekDeKalb County, best the second week of April · 84 checklists that week, 995 in all94%
  5. Greenspace Program AcquisitionFulton County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 527 in all94%
  6. Nelson LakeCobb County, best late April · 45 checklists that week, 746 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 8.6% of 16790 checklists7 am: 8.8% of 73569 checklists8 am: 8.6% of 104956 checklists9 am: 7.6% of 96241 checklists10 am: 6.8% of 81903 checklists11 am: 6.2% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 5.7% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 5.3% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 5.2% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 5.7% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 7.6% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 11% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 10% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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
January0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
March2.1%6.3%12%16%
April18%21%21%22%
May20%19%18%17%
June16%15%13%11%
July8.3%6.3%4.9%4.2%
August4.0%3.2%3.2%2.5%
September2.5%2.4%3.1%3.6%
October3.3%2.7%2.6%0.8%
November0.3%0.1%0.2%0.1%
December0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Georgia
  • Alabama: arrives early March, in the same week than Georgia
  • Tennessee: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Georgia
  • North Carolina: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Georgia

Common questions

When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows arrive in Georgia?
Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Georgia in early March, are common by mid March, peak in mid April (21% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows leave Georgia?
Most Northern Rough-winged Swallows have left Georgia by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Georgia?
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is reported most often in mid April, on about 21% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Northern Rough-winged Swallows seen most often?
By county, Dooly County, Mitchell County, and Bartow County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Rough-winged Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).