WhenToBird

Tachycineta bicolor · Hirundinidae

When Do Tree Swallows Arrive in Georgia?

Adult Tree Swallow
Photo: Carter Dorscht, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Tree Swallows are winter birds in Georgia: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in late March (8.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: late March. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 8.5% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.0% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.2% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.5% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.4% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.7% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.6% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.2% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.4% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.9% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.1% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.5% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.0% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.5% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.0% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.2% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.4% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.0% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.8% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.2% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.6% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.3% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.1% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.0% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.9% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.3% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.8% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.2% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.0% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.2% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.9% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.7% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dooly CountyBest late January · 63 checklists that week, 1,911 in all37%
  2. Miller CountyBest mid October · 12 checklists that week, 908 in all37%
  3. McIntosh CountyBest mid January · 308 checklists that week, 10,475 in all37%
  4. Seminole CountyBest mid April · 16 checklists that week, 605 in all34%
  5. Evans CountyBest early February · 12 checklists that week, 341 in all33%
  6. Gordon CountyBest mid March · 42 checklists that week, 2,772 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huie Land Application FacilityClayton County, best late March · 71 checklists that week, 1,586 in all95%
  2. Altamaha Wildlife Management AreaMcIntosh County, best late January · 69 checklists that week, 1,799 in all75%
  3. Lake Mayer Community ParkChatham County, best the second week of February · 26 checklists that week, 828 in all73%
  4. Arrowhead Wildlife Management AreaFloyd County, best late April · 34 checklists that week, 363 in all72%
  5. Sandy Creek ParkClarke County, best the second week of March · 38 checklists that week, 1,568 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Tree Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (4.4% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 3.3% of 16790 checklists7 am: 4.0% of 73569 checklists8 am: 4.0% of 104956 checklists9 am: 4.2% of 96241 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 81903 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 3.5% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 3.7% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 3.7% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 2.9% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 2.7% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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
January3.0%3.2%3.5%3.2%
February3.4%3.7%3.6%5.2%
March6.4%7.9%9.1%8.5%
April8.0%7.5%6.0%5.2%
May4.4%4.0%3.8%3.2%
June2.5%2.4%2.6%1.9%
July1.3%1.4%1.1%1.1%
August1.0%1.0%0.7%0.8%
September0.9%0.9%0.9%1.5%
October1.8%3.5%4.9%5.8%
November5.3%4.3%3.8%3.2%
December3.0%2.2%2.9%2.7%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives mid September, in the same week than Georgia
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of December, 11 weeks later than Georgia
  • Tennessee: arrives mid February, 20 weeks later than Georgia
  • North Carolina: arrives mid February, 20 weeks later than Georgia

Common questions

When do Tree Swallows arrive in Georgia?
Tree Swallows are winter birds in Georgia: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in late March (8.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Tree Swallows leave Georgia?
Most Tree Swallows have left Georgia by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early August.
When is the best time to see a Tree Swallow in Georgia?
The Tree Swallow is reported most often in late March, on about 8.5% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Tree Swallows seen most often?
By county, Dooly County, Miller County, and McIntosh County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tree Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).