WhenToBird

Spinus pinus · Fringillidae

When Do Pine Siskins Arrive in South Carolina?

Adult Pine Siskin
Photo: Dominique Bérubé, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Pine Siskins are winter birds in South Carolina: they arrive in late October, peak in mid February (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakFeb 15-21mid February
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: mid February. First arrivals late October; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 4.3% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.7% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.9% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.7% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.9% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.3% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.2% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.0% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.0% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.9% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.8% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.6% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 17541 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 South 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Edgefield CountyBest mid February · 52 checklists that week, 1,096 in all33%
  2. Greenwood CountyBest early February · 110 checklists that week, 3,752 in all19%
  3. Laurens CountyBest early February · 50 checklists that week, 2,316 in all18%
  4. Cherokee CountyBest late November · 59 checklists that week, 2,823 in all15%
  5. York CountyBest mid March · 262 checklists that week, 12,176 in all13%
  6. Union CountyBest early November · 18 checklists that week, 851 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bunched Arrowhead Heritage PreserveGreenville County, best early March · 36 checklists that week, 1,544 in all24%
  2. Cowpens National BattlefieldCherokee County, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 925 in all23%
  3. Riverbanks ZooRichland County, best late March · 29 checklists that week, 508 in all18%
  4. Bartons Pond (historical)Aiken County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 776 in all18%
  5. Fant's Grove Wildlife Management AreaAnderson County, best mid December · 44 checklists that week, 2,159 in all12%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Pine Siskin is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 19280 checklists7 am: 2.2% of 66492 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 73941 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 63039 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 52652 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 1.4% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January1.5%2.0%2.0%2.7%
February3.2%5.9%3.5%3.7%
March3.9%3.3%3.2%3.0%
April3.0%2.9%1.9%1.5%
May0.7%0.3%0.1%0%
June0%0.1%0%0%
July0.1%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%1.0%1.4%
November1.7%2.7%1.8%1.6%
December1.6%1.4%1.2%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives late October, in the same week than South Carolina
  • Tennessee: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Pine Siskins arrive in South Carolina?
Pine Siskins are winter birds in South Carolina: they arrive in late October, peak in mid February (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Pine Siskins leave South Carolina?
Most Pine Siskins have left South Carolina by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Pine Siskin in South Carolina?
The Pine Siskin is reported most often in mid February, on about 4.3% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Pine Siskins seen most often?
By county, Edgefield County, Greenwood County, and Laurens County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pine Siskin (counties with at least 200 checklists).