WhenToBird

Tachycineta bicolor · Hirundinidae

When Do Tree Swallows Arrive in South Carolina?

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

Tree Swallows are winter birds in South Carolina: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 13% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.5% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.3% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.7% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.7% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.5% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.2% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.7% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.0% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.7% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.8% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.8% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.6% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.1% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.8% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.8% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.2% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.8% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.4% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.3% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.8% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.1% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.3% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.0% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.9% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.7% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.7% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.4% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.8% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.9% of 17541 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 South 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.

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Where in South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Williamsburg CountyBest early November · 24 checklists that week, 1,512 in all58%
  2. Jasper CountyBest late March · 379 checklists that week, 12,443 in all45%
  3. Georgetown CountyBest mid October · 756 checklists that week, 32,234 in all40%
  4. Colleton CountyBest the second week of February · 377 checklists that week, 8,909 in all33%
  5. Clarendon CountyBest the second week of March · 168 checklists that week, 9,189 in all32%
  6. Charleston CountyBest early November · 1655 checklists that week, 102,218 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colclough PondClarendon County, best the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 379 in all88%
  2. Bear Island Wildlife Management AreaColleton County, best early April · 28 checklists that week, 1,645 in all75%
  3. Savannah National Wildlife RefugeJasper County, best the second week of March · 64 checklists that week, 2,487 in all74%
  4. Santee River Basin MegasiteCharleston County, best the second week of April · 36 checklists that week, 1,240 in all71%
  5. Ernest F. Hollings Ace Basin National Wildlife RefugeBeaufort County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 489 in all70%
  6. Conway Dog ParkHorry County, best late November · 43 checklists that week, 731 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Tree Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (7.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 4.5% of 19280 checklists7 am: 7.0% of 66492 checklists8 am: 7.9% of 73941 checklists9 am: 7.9% of 63039 checklists10 am: 7.4% of 52652 checklists11 am: 6.1% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 5.7% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 5.6% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 4.9% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 4.4% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 3.4% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January5.5%5.3%5.7%5.7%
February5.5%5.6%5.2%7.2%
March7.7%10%12%11%
April12%11%9.0%7.7%
May5.8%4.8%2.6%2.1%
June2.0%2.0%2.0%2.1%
July1.8%1.8%1.6%2.2%
August1.7%1.8%2.4%2.4%
September2.3%2.3%1.8%3.1%
October4.3%8.0%12%13%
November12%10%8.9%7.7%
December6.7%5.4%4.8%4.9%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives mid February, 20 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives mid September, in the same week than South Carolina
  • Tennessee: arrives mid February, 20 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late February, 21 weeks later than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Tree Swallows arrive in South Carolina?
Tree Swallows are winter birds in South Carolina: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Tree Swallows leave South Carolina?
Most Tree Swallows have left South Carolina by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Tree Swallow in South Carolina?
The Tree Swallow is reported most often in late October, on about 13% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Tree Swallows seen most often?
By county, Williamsburg County, Jasper County, and Georgetown County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tree Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).