WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Florida?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Florida: they arrive in mid September, peak in early October (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: early October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 7.5% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.6% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.6% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.6% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.5% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.1% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hardee CountyBest the second week of October · 35 checklists that week, 1,078 in all20%
  2. Washington CountyBest the second week of October · 22 checklists that week, 1,773 in all16%
  3. Franklin CountyBest early October · 429 checklists that week, 20,336 in all14%
  4. Pasco CountyBest early October · 558 checklists that week, 33,431 in all14%
  5. Charlotte CountyBest early October · 595 checklists that week, 40,485 in all13%
  6. Marion CountyBest early October · 956 checklists that week, 53,380 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bexley Trail Community ParkPalm Beach County, best mid October · 36 checklists that week, 341 in all56%
  2. GTMNERR - Guana River SiteSt. Johns County, best early October · 26 checklists that week, 578 in all53%
  3. Black Creek ParkClay County, best early October · 47 checklists that week, 650 in all46%
  4. Pinecraft ParkSarasota County, best the second week of October · 147 checklists that week, 5,587 in all43%
  5. Rattlesnake CoveFranklin County, best late September · 55 checklists that week, 2,246 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 94591 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 296183 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 319987 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 254830 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 209480 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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%0.1%0.1%0%
February0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.4%1.1%1.8%
May2.6%0.5%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.4%2.3%6.6%
October8.6%7.5%5.1%2.0%
November0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of April, 21 weeks earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Florida?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Florida: they arrive in mid September, peak in early October (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Florida?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Florida by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Florida?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in early October, on about 7.5% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Hardee County, Washington County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).