WhenToBird

Larus delawarensis · Laridae

When Do Ring-billed Gulls Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Ring-billed Gull
Photo: Isaac Krone, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ring-billed Gulls are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in late August, they are common by early November, peak in late January (19% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late January. First arrivals late August; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 19% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 18% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 19% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 19% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 20% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 19% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 14% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 13% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.4% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.9% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.5% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.2% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.6% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.8% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.7% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 18% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% 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. Benton CountyBest early December · 34 checklists that week, 2,202 in all81%
  2. Rhea CountyBest early December · 81 checklists that week, 2,708 in all67%
  3. Henry CountyBest mid November · 143 checklists that week, 5,668 in all66%
  4. Humphreys CountyBest late November · 100 checklists that week, 5,858 in all65%
  5. Hardin CountyBest late November · 64 checklists that week, 2,710 in all61%
  6. Lake CountyBest early November · 126 checklists that week, 5,235 in all57%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Old Hickory Beach Access AreaDavidson County, best the second week of January · 97 checklists that week, 2,489 in all99%
  2. Memorial ParkSumner County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 744 in all98%
  3. Sharps CreekSullivan County, best mid February · 22 checklists that week, 383 in all98%
  4. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Waltons Shoals)Meigs County, best mid February · 21 checklists that week, 278 in all97%
  5. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (northeast)Sullivan County, best mid February · 29 checklists that week, 731 in all97%
  6. Chickamauga Boat Harbor (Chickamauga Island (historical))Hamilton County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 670 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Ring-billed Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 4.1% of 36828 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 72816 checklists8 am: 5.7% of 76910 checklists9 am: 7.3% of 69071 checklists10 am: 8.5% of 60943 checklists11 am: 9.6% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 10% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 11% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 10% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 10% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 7.3% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 1.3% 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
January18%19%19%20%
February19%14%13%16%
March12%9.4%7.9%5.3%
April2.9%2.5%1.9%1.6%
May0.9%0.7%0.3%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.2%0.5%0.4%
August0.7%1.1%1.1%2.0%
September1.8%2.2%1.7%2.2%
October1.5%2.6%3.8%5.8%
November8.7%14%15%19%
December19%20%18%17%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives mid July, 5 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives early October, 5 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives early October, 5 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives early October, 5 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Ring-billed Gulls arrive in Tennessee?
Ring-billed Gulls are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in late August, they are common by early November, peak in late January (19% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Ring-billed Gulls leave Tennessee?
Most Ring-billed Gulls have left Tennessee by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Ring-billed Gull in Tennessee?
The Ring-billed Gull is reported most often in late January, on about 19% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Ring-billed Gulls seen most often?
By county, Benton County, Rhea County, and Henry County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ring-billed Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).