WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Sandhill crane
Photo: Cathy Perkins, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by mid November, peak in the second week of December (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 4.3% of Tennessee checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.3% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.8% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.4% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.4% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.2% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.8% 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. Meigs CountyBest mid January · 250 checklists that week, 4,866 in all79%
  2. Rhea CountyBest mid December · 53 checklists that week, 2,708 in all63%
  3. Coffee CountyBest the second week of December · 49 checklists that week, 3,464 in all25%
  4. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of January · 51 checklists that week, 1,973 in all22%
  5. Obion CountyBest mid January · 42 checklists that week, 2,011 in all20%
  6. Warren CountyBest the second week of December · 33 checklists that week, 2,392 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dallas LakeMeigs County, best mid December · 64 checklists that week, 1,575 in all98%
  2. Hiwassee Refuge (Aslinger Hollow)Rhea County, best early December · 26 checklists that week, 370 in all97%
  3. Hiwassee RefugeMeigs County, best late January · 35 checklists that week, 626 in all91%
  4. Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (northwest)Henry County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 267 in all34%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 0.2% of 36828 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 72816 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 76910 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 69071 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 60943 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January4.2%3.3%3.8%3.2%
February3.5%3.0%2.5%2.3%
March0.7%0.3%0.2%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0%0.1%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.4%1.6%2.0%3.7%
December4.4%4.4%4.2%3.8%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives mid November, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of February, 12 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Tennessee?
Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by mid November, peak in the second week of December (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Tennessee?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left Tennessee by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early March.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Tennessee?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 4.3% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Meigs County, Rhea County, and Coffee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).