WhenToBird

Agelaius phoeniceus · Icteridae

When Do Red-winged Blackbirds Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult male Red-winged Blackbird
Photo: infiniteuniverse, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Red-winged Blackbirds are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in the second week of May (30% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 4.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJul 15-21mid July
FewestSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from mid February and fall back by mid July. Peak: on about 30% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 9.0% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.4% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 14% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 16% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 25% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 25% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 27% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 28% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 31% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 30% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 31% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 25% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 25% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 26% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 25% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 25% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.6% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.3% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.1% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.1% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.3% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.7% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.2% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.4% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.7% of 17397 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake CountyBest early June · 54 checklists that week, 5,235 in all80%
  2. Haywood CountyBest mid July · 40 checklists that week, 1,498 in all75%
  3. Hawkins CountyBest mid June · 187 checklists that week, 11,261 in all72%
  4. Bledsoe CountyBest the second week of April · 86 checklists that week, 3,662 in all69%
  5. Humphreys CountyBest the second week of July · 90 checklists that week, 5,858 in all68%
  6. Lincoln CountyBest late May · 66 checklists that week, 4,596 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Murfree Springs RefugeRutherford County, best mid June · 23 checklists that week, 1,675 in all100%
  2. Robbins-Halle Nature PreserveShelby County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 650 in all100%
  3. Blue SpringKnox County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 1,102 in all100%
  4. Oak Ridge Wildlife Management AreaRoane County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 1,050 in all100%
  5. Ball CampKnox County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 124 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Red-winged Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (25% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (224) to judge1 am: too few checklists (253) to judge2 am: too few checklists (245) to judge3 am: too few checklists (267) to judge4 am: too few checklists (582) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5688) to judge6 am: 27% of 36828 checklists7 am: 25% of 72816 checklists8 am: 21% of 76910 checklists9 am: 19% of 69071 checklists10 am: 17% of 60943 checklists11 am: 15% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 15% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 15% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 15% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 17% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 19% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 21% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 20% of 20977 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (12529) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4456) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1056) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (445) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (252) 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
January9.0%9.4%11%12%
February14%16%19%25%
March25%27%28%30%
April30%31%30%30%
May31%29%31%29%
June26%25%25%26%
July25%25%22%17%
August13%9.6%7.3%6.1%
September5.1%4.3%4.7%6.2%
October9.4%13%16%16%
November17%17%15%13%
December11%11%11%9.7%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives late February, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks the second week of February
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Indiana: arrives late February, 1 week later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in Tennessee?
Red-winged Blackbirds are in Tennessee all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in the second week of May (30% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 4.7% of checklists.
When do Red-winged Blackbirds leave Tennessee?
Red-winged Blackbirds never fully leave Tennessee: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid July, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-winged Blackbird in Tennessee?
The Red-winged Blackbird is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 30% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Red-winged Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Lake County, Haywood County, and Hawkins County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-winged Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).