WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Swamp Sparrow
Photo: Sandra Keller, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late October (16% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: late October. First arrivals early October; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 16% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 8.4% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.0% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.4% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.9% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.7% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.8% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.7% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.7% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.4% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.4% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.8% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.9% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.9% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.9% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.2% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.6% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.2% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.9% 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. Haywood CountyBest the second week of December · 17 checklists that week, 1,498 in all63%
  2. Roane CountyBest late October · 179 checklists that week, 6,746 in all53%
  3. Humphreys CountyBest late October · 233 checklists that week, 5,858 in all50%
  4. Decatur CountyBest late October · 13 checklists that week, 378 in all48%
  5. Perry CountyBest the second week of November · 49 checklists that week, 3,047 in all44%
  6. Chester CountyBest early December · 10 checklists that week, 302 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (Duck River)Humphreys County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 533 in all85%
  2. Percy Priest Wildlife Management AreaRutherford County, best late October · 28 checklists that week, 846 in all85%
  3. Clear Lake (historical)Humphreys County, best late October · 36 checklists that week, 849 in all85%
  4. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Williams Bend)Knox County, best early November · 29 checklists that week, 684 in all84%
  5. Bells BendDavidson County, best late October · 83 checklists that week, 2,014 in all82%
  6. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)Roane County, best late October · 35 checklists that week, 1,062 in all82%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (6.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 6.2% of 36828 checklists7 am: 7.1% of 72816 checklists8 am: 6.5% of 76910 checklists9 am: 6.2% of 69071 checklists10 am: 5.7% of 60943 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 5.1% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 5.3% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 5.0% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 1.9% 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
January8.4%8.0%7.4%7.9%
February7.7%5.8%4.7%6.7%
March7.4%7.4%7.8%7.9%
April7.9%7.9%6.3%4.2%
May1.9%0.5%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0%0.3%
October2.6%8.2%14%17%
November16%14%12%11%
December10%11%12%9.9%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives early October, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Swamp Sparrows arrive in Tennessee?
Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late October (16% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Swamp Sparrows leave Tennessee?
Most Swamp Sparrows have left Tennessee by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Swamp Sparrow in Tennessee?
The Swamp Sparrow is reported most often in late October, on about 16% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Swamp Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Haywood County, Roane County, and Humphreys County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swamp Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).