WhenToBird

Tachycineta thalassina · Hirundinidae

When Do Violet-green Swallows Arrive in Arizona?

Adult Violet-green Swallow
Photo: MarvalPhotography19, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Violet-green Swallows reach Arizona in the second week of February, are common by late February, peak in the second week of June (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 12% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.2% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.2% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.0% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.3% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.3% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.9% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.5% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.2% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.4% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 10% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.2% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.8% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.4% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.4% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.9% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.0% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.9% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.0% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.0% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.5% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.6% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.6% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coconino CountyBest mid June · 1922 checklists that week, 90,870 in all49%
  2. Navajo CountyBest late June · 550 checklists that week, 18,838 in all39%
  3. Apache CountyBest early July · 326 checklists that week, 12,931 in all36%
  4. Greenlee CountyBest early July · 132 checklists that week, 2,745 in all35%
  5. Yavapai CountyBest the second week of May · 2442 checklists that week, 83,606 in all25%
  6. Gila CountyBest mid May · 351 checklists that week, 14,834 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Thorpe Softball ComplexCoconino County, best late June · 37 checklists that week, 1,567 in all94%
  2. Woodland ReservoirNavajo County, best the second week of July · 29 checklists that week, 860 in all88%
  3. Woods Canyon LakeCoconino County, best mid June · 22 checklists that week, 287 in all87%
  4. Bottomless PitCoconino County, best mid May · 45 checklists that week, 2,433 in all84%
  5. Domingo TankCoconino County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 144 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Violet-green Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (7.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 7.4% of 38350 checklists6 am: 7.6% of 118786 checklists7 am: 6.3% of 183415 checklists8 am: 5.4% of 187346 checklists9 am: 4.8% of 151342 checklists10 am: 4.3% of 124522 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 3.7% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 3.7% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 4.2% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 5.0% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 4.9% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.5%
February0.7%1.7%2.2%3.3%
March4.2%6.0%6.3%6.3%
April6.9%6.5%8.2%9.4%
May10%10%10%11%
June12%12%11%12%
July11%10%8.2%5.8%
August4.4%3.4%3.9%4.0%
September4.9%6.0%5.0%3.5%
October2.6%3.1%5.6%3.1%
November2.2%1.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives mid March, 5 weeks later than Arizona
  • Nevada: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Arizona
  • Utah: arrives early April, 7 weeks later than Arizona
  • California: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Arizona

Common questions

When do Violet-green Swallows arrive in Arizona?
Violet-green Swallows reach Arizona in the second week of February, are common by late February, peak in the second week of June (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Violet-green Swallows leave Arizona?
Most Violet-green Swallows have left Arizona by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Violet-green Swallow in Arizona?
The Violet-green Swallow is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 12% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Violet-green Swallows seen most often?
By county, Coconino County, Navajo County, and Apache County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Violet-green Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).