WhenToBird

Tachycineta bicolor · Hirundinidae

When Do Tree Swallows Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Tree Swallows reach North Carolina in mid February, are common by early March, peak in late April (12% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: late April. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 12% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.4% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.7% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.9% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.8% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.0% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.0% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.8% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.5% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.3% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.5% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.1% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.5% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.6% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.8% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.4% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.4% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.9% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.0% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.6% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tyrrell CountyBest the second week of November · 32 checklists that week, 2,289 in all43%
  2. Washington CountyBest the second week of August · 18 checklists that week, 3,065 in all37%
  3. Transylvania CountyBest mid March · 315 checklists that week, 18,992 in all36%
  4. Cleveland CountyBest late March · 188 checklists that week, 6,121 in all36%
  5. Henderson CountyBest mid May · 763 checklists that week, 33,437 in all34%
  6. Currituck CountyBest late October · 210 checklists that week, 8,172 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Buncombe County ParkBuncombe County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 2,850 in all97%
  2. NonameTransylvania County, best the second week of March · 94 checklists that week, 2,650 in all96%
  3. Rosasco Lake UpperWatauga County, best early June · 46 checklists that week, 1,829 in all94%
  4. Governors IslandSwain County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 571 in all93%
  5. Mills River ParkHenderson County, best early June · 37 checklists that week, 1,786 in all92%
  6. Long Valley BranchBuncombe County, best late April · 56 checklists that week, 1,413 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Tree Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (6.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 5.8% of 50335 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 150152 checklists8 am: 6.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 6.1% of 158933 checklists10 am: 5.4% of 128398 checklists11 am: 4.6% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 4.2% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 4.1% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 4.3% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 4.8% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.9%1.3%1.3%1.2%
February1.6%1.2%1.3%3.4%
March5.0%6.7%8.9%11%
April11%12%11%12%
May12%11%10%8.8%
June8.0%7.0%6.8%5.5%
July4.3%4.0%3.2%2.5%
August2.3%2.1%1.5%1.6%
September1.1%1.3%1.3%1.6%
October2.6%3.8%5.4%4.4%
November2.9%2.0%2.0%1.6%
December1.4%1.2%0.9%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives mid September, 20 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late February, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives early March, 2 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives early March, 2 weeks later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Tree Swallows arrive in North Carolina?
Tree Swallows reach North Carolina in mid February, are common by early March, peak in late April (12% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Tree Swallows leave North Carolina?
Most Tree Swallows have left North Carolina by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid August.
When is the best time to see a Tree Swallow in North Carolina?
The Tree Swallow is reported most often in late April, on about 12% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Tree Swallows seen most often?
By county, Tyrrell County, Washington County, and Transylvania County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tree Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).