WhenToBird

Euphagus carolinus · Icteridae

When Do Rusty Blackbirds Arrive in South Carolina?

Adult female Rusty Blackbird
Photo: Carol Ann Vermeer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in South Carolina: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 2.4% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.3% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.8% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% 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% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% 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: 0.1% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.3% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.3% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% 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. Lancaster CountyBest late November · 62 checklists that week, 2,265 in all8.8%
  2. Greenville CountyBest late November · 1154 checklists that week, 53,159 in all8.0%
  3. Sumter CountyBest the second week of December · 29 checklists that week, 1,757 in all7.0%
  4. Chester CountyBest the second week of January · 10 checklists that week, 921 in all5.4%
  5. Greenwood CountyBest early December · 58 checklists that week, 3,752 in all5.3%
  6. Dorchester CountyBest early March · 254 checklists that week, 11,368 in all5.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake CunninghamGreenville County, best early January · 66 checklists that week, 809 in all63%
  2. Hog IslandCharleston County, best early February · 26 checklists that week, 1,188 in all49%
  3. Hartwell Recreation AreaAnderson County, best early March · 33 checklists that week, 1,049 in all49%
  4. Cypress WetlandsBeaufort County, best the second week of March · 74 checklists that week, 1,741 in all46%
  5. Conestee ParkGreenville County, best the second week of December · 109 checklists that week, 7,332 in all35%
  6. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (Charleston, South Carolina)Charleston County, best late January · 41 checklists that week, 1,378 in all30%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Rusty Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.5% of 19280 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 66492 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 73941 checklists9 am: 1.2% of 63039 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 52652 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January2.1%2.3%2.3%2.5%
February2.2%2.0%1.7%2.5%
March2.3%2.2%1.8%0.9%
April0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0%0%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.4%1.3%1.7%2.3%
December2.3%2.4%2.5%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives mid November, 1 week later than South Carolina
  • Tennessee: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives mid October, 3 weeks earlier than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Rusty Blackbirds arrive in South Carolina?
Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in South Carolina: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Rusty Blackbirds leave South Carolina?
Most Rusty Blackbirds have left South Carolina by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rusty Blackbird in South Carolina?
The Rusty Blackbird is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 2.4% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Rusty Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Lancaster County, Greenville County, and Sumter County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rusty Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).