WhenToBird

Leiothlypis peregrina · Parulidae

When Do Tennessee Warblers Arrive in New York?

Adult Tennessee Warbler
Photo: kcthetc1, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Tennessee Warblers arrive in New York in early May, peak in mid May (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: mid May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 6.2% of New York checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  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%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.8% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.5% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.5% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.4% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.2% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.9% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.7% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.6% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest late May · 6681 checklists that week, 166,009 in all17%
  2. Cortland CountyBest late September · 178 checklists that week, 10,206 in all16%
  3. Orleans CountyBest mid May · 847 checklists that week, 16,706 in all14%
  4. Chautauqua CountyBest mid May · 1253 checklists that week, 35,772 in all14%
  5. Niagara CountyBest mid May · 1089 checklists that week, 28,936 in all14%
  6. Lewis CountyBest mid September · 83 checklists that week, 5,920 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wards Island ParkNew York County, best late September · 108 checklists that week, 306 in all60%
  2. Monroe County Water LandMonroe County, best late May · 49 checklists that week, 1,088 in all53%
  3. Braddock Bay State Park (Lewis Point)Monroe County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 291 in all53%
  4. Garvies Point County PreserveNassau County, best the second week of September · 90 checklists that week, 826 in all50%
  5. Town of Scriba LandOswego County, best late May · 56 checklists that week, 714 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Tennessee Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 3.4% of 124869 checklists7 am: 2.6% of 298506 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 337334 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 307787 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 270801 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.1%
May1.1%4.8%11%3.5%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.6%1.5%
September3.4%5.2%5.9%5.7%
October3.6%1.8%0.7%0.3%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of August, 13 weeks later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives mid August, 14 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late August, 15 weeks later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives mid August, 14 weeks later than New York

Common questions

When do Tennessee Warblers arrive in New York?
Tennessee Warblers arrive in New York in early May, peak in mid May (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Tennessee Warblers leave New York?
Most Tennessee Warblers have left New York by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Tennessee Warbler in New York?
The Tennessee Warbler is reported most often in mid May, on about 6.2% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Tennessee Warblers seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Cortland County, and Orleans County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tennessee Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).