WhenToBird

Egretta tricolor · Ardeidae

When Do Tricolored Herons Arrive in Georgia?

Adult Tricolored Heron
Photo: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Tricolored Heron is in Georgia all year. It turns up on about 3.2% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 1.7% in its quietest week (the second week of February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 22-31late July
Quietest weekFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late July. Here all year. Peak: on about 3.2% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.0% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.8% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.9% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.5% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.8% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.9% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.4% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.3% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.7% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.3% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.1% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.5% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.2% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.9% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.2% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.6% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.8% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.0% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% 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. McIntosh CountyBest late July · 152 checklists that week, 10,475 in all52%
  2. Glynn CountyBest late July · 628 checklists that week, 48,828 in all29%
  3. Liberty CountyBest early December · 23 checklists that week, 2,209 in all29%
  4. Camden CountyBest mid July · 135 checklists that week, 10,650 in all18%
  5. Richmond CountyBest mid August · 105 checklists that week, 9,352 in all14%
  6. Chatham CountyBest mid July · 445 checklists that week, 37,460 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harris Neck National Wildlife RefugeMcIntosh County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 875 in all95%
  2. Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge (northeast)McIntosh County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 672 in all80%
  3. Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge (south)McIntosh County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 505 in all75%
  4. Altamaha Wildlife Management AreaMcIntosh County, best the second week of October · 69 checklists that week, 1,799 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Tricolored Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 2.5% of 16790 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 73569 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 104956 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 96241 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 81903 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 2.7% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 1.7% 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
January2.3%2.0%2.2%2.0%
February1.9%1.8%1.5%2.0%
March2.4%2.4%1.8%1.9%
April2.0%1.9%2.0%2.5%
May2.0%1.8%1.8%1.9%
June2.6%1.9%2.4%2.3%
July2.3%2.7%3.0%3.3%
August3.1%2.5%2.4%2.2%
September1.9%1.8%2.1%2.2%
October2.8%3.5%2.6%2.0%
November1.7%1.8%1.9%2.1%
December1.8%2.0%2.3%2.1%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Tricolored Herons arrive in Georgia?
The Tricolored Heron is in Georgia all year. It turns up on about 3.2% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 1.7% in its quietest week (the second week of February).
When do Tricolored Herons leave Georgia?
The Tricolored Heron does not leave Georgia: it is reported all year, from 1.7% of checklists in the second week of February to 3.2% in late July.
When is the best time to see a Tricolored Heron in Georgia?
The Tricolored Heron is reported most often in late July, on about 3.2% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Tricolored Herons seen most often?
By county, McIntosh County, Glynn County, and Liberty County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tricolored Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).