WhenToBird

Piranga olivacea · Cardinalidae

Scarlet Tanager: When and Where to See It

Adult Scarlet Tanager
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Scarlet Tanager reaches Alabama first, around early April, and South Dakota last, around the second week of May.

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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0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.5% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.0% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.9% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.7% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.9% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.7% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.3% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.1% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.2% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.7% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.5% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.8% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.5% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.2% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.9% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.2% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
AlabamaSummer visitorApr 1-7Apr 22-30Oct 15-2112%
LouisianaPasses throughApr 1-7Apr 22-30May 1-712%
MississippiPasses throughApr 1-7Apr 22-30May 8-146.6%
TexasPasses throughApr 1-7Apr 22-30May 1-76.2%
TennesseeSummer visitorApr 8-14May 1-7Oct 8-1415%
North CarolinaSummer visitorApr 8-14May 1-7Oct 8-1413%
GeorgiaSummer visitorApr 8-14May 1-7Oct 15-2112%
KentuckySummer visitorApr 8-14May 8-14Oct 1-712%
ArkansasSummer visitorApr 8-14May 22-31Jul 1-75.1%
South CarolinaSummer visitorApr 8-14May 1-7Jul 8-144.9%
West VirginiaSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Sep 22-3028%
District of ColumbiaSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Oct 8-1427%
MarylandSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Oct 1-718%
VirginiaSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Oct 1-719%
IndianaSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Sep 22-3013%
OhioSummer visitorApr 15-21May 15-21Jul 22-3114%
DelawareSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Oct 1-712%
MissouriSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Jul 22-315.9%
PennsylvaniaSummer visitorApr 22-30May 15-21Sep 22-3020%
ConnecticutSummer visitorApr 22-30May 15-21Sep 15-2118%
New YorkSummer visitorApr 22-30May 15-21Oct 1-715%
MassachusettsSummer visitorApr 22-30May 22-31Jul 15-2114%
MichiganSummer visitorApr 22-30May 22-31Jul 15-2113%
New JerseySummer visitorApr 22-30May 8-14Oct 1-713%
Rhode IslandPasses throughApr 22-30May 15-21Jul 1-715%
IowaSummer visitorApr 22-30May 15-21Sep 15-2111%
IllinoisPasses throughApr 22-30May 15-21Jul 1-712%
KansasPasses throughApr 22-30May 8-14Jul 1-71.0%
New HampshireSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Aug 1-715%
VermontSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Sep 8-1415%
MinnesotaSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Sep 8-147.5%
WisconsinSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Jul 15-219.8%
MaineSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Aug 1-76.6%
NebraskaSummer visitorMay 1-7May 15-21Jul 22-312.6%
North DakotaPasses throughMay 8-14May 22-31Jul 1-71.5%
South DakotaSummer visitorMay 8-14May 22-31Jul 15-211.5%
FloridaPasses throughAug 15-21Oct 8-14Nov 22-303.9%

Passes through: Florida