WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Illinois?

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

Swainson's Thrushes reach Illinois in mid August, are common by late August, peak in the second week of September (28% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 28% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.8% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 26% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.8% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 31% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 30% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 29011 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 Illinois 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crawford CountyBest the second week of September · 11 checklists that week, 804 in all53%
  2. Wabash CountyBest the second week of September · 15 checklists that week, 602 in all49%
  3. Piatt CountyBest mid September · 58 checklists that week, 4,640 in all47%
  4. Livingston CountyBest the second week of September · 13 checklists that week, 1,092 in all44%
  5. Whiteside CountyBest mid September · 56 checklists that week, 4,111 in all43%
  6. Edgar CountyBest the second week of September · 16 checklists that week, 914 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Skokie River Nature PreserveLake County, best the second week of September · 26 checklists that week, 397 in all93%
  2. Skokie Lagoons (Crow Island)Cook County, best the second week of September · 97 checklists that week, 3,351 in all90%
  3. Chicago Women's Park and GardensCook County, best the second week of September · 23 checklists that week, 555 in all89%
  4. Riis (Jacob)Cook County, best mid September · 27 checklists that week, 914 in all88%
  5. Dead LakeLake County, best the second week of September · 34 checklists that week, 1,516 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 10% of 95511 checklists7 am: 8.3% of 164584 checklists8 am: 6.6% of 163654 checklists9 am: 5.3% of 141804 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 122882 checklists11 am: 3.9% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 4.6% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 5.6% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 4.0% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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%
April0%0.1%0.3%5.8%
May13%20%26%11%
June0.7%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.2%0.4%6.8%
September23%31%30%22%
October11%5.3%1.5%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
December0.1%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives mid August, in the same week than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid August, in the same week than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives late August, 1 week later than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives late April, 15 weeks earlier than Illinois

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Illinois?
Swainson's Thrushes reach Illinois in mid August, are common by late August, peak in the second week of September (28% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Illinois?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Illinois by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Illinois?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 28% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Crawford County, Wabash County, and Piatt County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).