WhenToBird

Protonotaria citrea · Parulidae

When Do Prothonotary Warblers Arrive in Alabama?

Adult Prothonotary Warbler
Photo: chloe ⋆˚꩜｡, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Prothonotary Warblers reach Alabama in mid March, are common by late March, peak in mid April (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: mid April. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 11% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  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 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.1% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.0% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.8% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.5% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.6% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.2% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.7% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.2% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.0% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.7% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.4% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.9% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Choctaw CountyBest early June · 59 checklists that week, 554 in all61%
  2. Greene CountyBest mid May · 100 checklists that week, 847 in all46%
  3. Limestone CountyBest early May · 180 checklists that week, 6,886 in all45%
  4. Perry CountyBest mid April · 11 checklists that week, 1,066 in all42%
  5. Pickens CountyBest the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 434 in all41%
  6. Geneva CountyBest late May · 98 checklists that week, 3,203 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ebenezer Swamp Ecological PreserveShelby County, best early May · 26 checklists that week, 827 in all93%
  2. Wheeler Reservoir Retained Land (Baptizing Branch)Limestone County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 333 in all80%
  3. Plamore ParkTuscaloosa County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 343 in all78%
  4. Buckeye PondMadison County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 892 in all72%
  5. J.D. & Annie S. Hays Nature PreserveMadison County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 1,047 in all71%
  6. Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife SanctuaryMadison County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 251 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Prothonotary Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.4% of 26677 checklists7 am: 3.1% of 42599 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 39919 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 34699 checklists10 am: 2.8% of 28551 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 2.8% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 2.9% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 2.6% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 1.9% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0.1%
March0%0.2%1.0%3.1%
April6.4%12%12%8.0%
May6.8%6.6%7.5%6.6%
June6.2%4.7%5.2%4.0%
July2.7%2.2%1.4%2.0%
August1.5%1.4%1.9%1.8%
September2.0%1.9%0.9%0.5%
October0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Prothonotary Warblers arrive in Alabama?
Prothonotary Warblers reach Alabama in mid March, are common by late March, peak in mid April (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Prothonotary Warblers leave Alabama?
Most Prothonotary Warblers have left Alabama by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Prothonotary Warbler in Alabama?
The Prothonotary Warbler is reported most often in mid April, on about 11% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Prothonotary Warblers seen most often?
By county, Choctaw County, Greene County, and Limestone County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Prothonotary Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).