WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult Swainson's Thrush
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Arkansas: the first show up in the second week of April, they are common by mid April, peak in early May (16% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 16% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.7% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 20% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.3% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Carroll CountyBest the second week of May · 150 checklists that week, 3,417 in all37%
  2. Franklin CountyBest early May · 51 checklists that week, 1,315 in all36%
  3. Washington CountyBest early May · 1057 checklists that week, 22,850 in all34%
  4. Madison CountyBest the second week of May · 43 checklists that week, 807 in all29%
  5. Sebastian CountyBest early May · 171 checklists that week, 4,415 in all29%
  6. Cross CountyBest early May · 22 checklists that week, 473 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Veterans ParkWashington County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 214 in all85%
  2. Mount Sequoyah WoodsWashington County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 206 in all82%
  3. Cherry Bend Recreation AreaFranklin County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 128 in all74%
  4. Lake Fayetteville ParkWashington County, best early May · 88 checklists that week, 1,197 in all72%
  5. Craighead Forest ParkCraighead County, best early May · 43 checklists that week, 818 in all61%
  6. Devil's Den State ParkWashington County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 319 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 4.8% of 10807 checklists7 am: 3.3% of 27761 checklists8 am: 2.7% of 30943 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 26975 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 21989 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0.1%
April0.1%0.8%4.7%14%
May20%14%5.3%1.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.6%1.1%1.0%
October0.5%0.4%0.3%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Arkansas?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Arkansas: the first show up in the second week of April, they are common by mid April, peak in early May (16% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Arkansas?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Arkansas by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Arkansas?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in early May, on about 16% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Carroll County, Franklin County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).