WhenToBird

Stelgidopteryx serripennis · Hirundinidae

When Do Northern Rough-winged Swallows Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach North Carolina in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in late April (14% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: late April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 14% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.1% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.5% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.9% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.2% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.9% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.4% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.6% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.4% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.2% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.8% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vance CountyBest the second week of April · 15 checklists that week, 1,721 in all37%
  2. Alexander CountyBest the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 1,387 in all31%
  3. Rutherford CountyBest late April · 145 checklists that week, 3,600 in all26%
  4. Caldwell CountyBest late April · 149 checklists that week, 3,824 in all24%
  5. Wake CountyBest the second week of May · 4626 checklists that week, 161,883 in all24%
  6. Catawba CountyBest mid April · 103 checklists that week, 4,985 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. B. Everett Jordan Lake (Bells)Chatham County, best early April · 22 checklists that week, 400 in all95%
  2. Lower Janita LakeForsyth County, best late May · 42 checklists that week, 1,378 in all87%
  3. Clark LakeDurham County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 788 in all85%
  4. Number One Settling BasinMecklenburg County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 155 in all84%
  5. The PoolsRutherford County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 507 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 6.1% of 50335 checklists7 am: 4.6% of 150152 checklists8 am: 4.9% of 182902 checklists9 am: 4.6% of 158933 checklists10 am: 4.0% of 128398 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 3.3% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 3.2% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 3.1% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 3.0% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 5.4% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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%0.1%0.1%0%
February0%0%0%0.1%
March0.6%2.0%5.1%8.5%
April11%13%13%14%
May14%12%11%9.9%
June9.2%7.9%7.4%5.6%
July4.4%3.2%2.8%2.0%
August1.4%0.9%0.6%0.4%
September0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%
October0.4%0.5%0.4%0.3%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives mid March, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid March, 1 week later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows arrive in North Carolina?
Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach North Carolina in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in late April (14% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows leave North Carolina?
Most Northern Rough-winged Swallows have left North Carolina by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early August.
When is the best time to see a Northern Rough-winged Swallow in North Carolina?
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is reported most often in late April, on about 14% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Northern Rough-winged Swallows seen most often?
By county, Vance County, Alexander County, and Rutherford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Rough-winged Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).