WhenToBird

Cygnus columbianus · Anatidae

When Do Tundra Swans Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Tundra Swan
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Tundra Swans are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early January (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 1-7early January
Most gone byFeb 15-21mid February

Best: early January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid February. Peak: on about 5.2% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 4.4% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.8% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.3% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.8% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.8% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.6% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.4% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.8% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.9% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.1% 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. Washington CountyBest the second week of December · 130 checklists that week, 3,065 in all74%
  2. Hyde CountyBest mid January · 292 checklists that week, 8,350 in all63%
  3. Edgecombe CountyBest late January · 129 checklists that week, 3,169 in all47%
  4. Dare CountyBest the second week of January · 1766 checklists that week, 83,121 in all39%
  5. Currituck CountyBest the second week of December · 92 checklists that week, 8,172 in all33%
  6. Tyrrell CountyBest the second week of December · 46 checklists that week, 2,289 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pea Island (The Trench)Dare County, best early December · 53 checklists that week, 2,298 in all99%
  2. Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife RefugeWashington County, best late January · 30 checklists that week, 390 in all99%
  3. Wreck CreekDare County, best late November · 27 checklists that week, 914 in all98%
  4. Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (Third Tributary)Hyde County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 128 in all97%
  5. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (southwest)Dare County, best early January · 51 checklists that week, 913 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Tundra Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 0.8% of 50335 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 150152 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 182902 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 158933 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 128398 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January4.4%4.8%5.3%4.0%
February5.8%2.8%1.9%2.6%
March1.7%0.8%0.2%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.2%0.6%
November1.3%2.1%3.2%4.0%
December4.4%4.8%2.9%6.1%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives early November, in the same week than North Carolina
  • Maryland: arrives early November, in the same week than North Carolina
  • Delaware: arrives early November, in the same week than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Tundra Swans arrive in North Carolina?
Tundra Swans are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early January (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid February.
When do Tundra Swans leave North Carolina?
Most Tundra Swans have left North Carolina by mid February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early March.
When is the best time to see a Tundra Swan in North Carolina?
The Tundra Swan is reported most often in early January, on about 5.2% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Tundra Swans seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Hyde County, and Edgecombe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tundra Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).