WhenToBird

Hylocichla mustelina · Turdidae

When Do Wood Thrushes Arrive in Florida?

Adult Wood Thrush
Photo: Helen J, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Wood Thrushes are winter birds in Florida: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 1.3% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.5% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.3% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gadsden CountyBest the second week of July · 30 checklists that week, 3,574 in all18%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest early October · 67 checklists that week, 4,323 in all9.6%
  3. Santa Rosa CountyBest mid April · 457 checklists that week, 15,001 in all7.8%
  4. Holmes CountyBest early May · 17 checklists that week, 726 in all7.7%
  5. Washington CountyBest early May · 23 checklists that week, 1,773 in all6.7%
  6. Escambia CountyBest mid April · 817 checklists that week, 25,457 in all6.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Elinor Klapp-Phipps ParkLeon County, best the second week of October · 82 checklists that week, 1,828 in all32%
  2. Mcgough Nature ParkPinellas County, best late October · 45 checklists that week, 1,660 in all26%
  3. Wakulla SpringsWakulla County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 1,409 in all25%
  4. Black Creek ParkClay County, best mid October · 22 checklists that week, 650 in all25%
  5. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State ParkCollier County, best late October · 45 checklists that week, 1,639 in all24%
  6. Gulf Islands National Seashore (east)Escambia County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 483 in all20%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Wood Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 94591 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 296183 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 319987 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 254830 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 209480 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April0.6%0.8%1.5%1.1%
May0.6%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
October0.8%1.3%1.7%0.9%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives early April, 21 weeks earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of April, 20 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives late March, 22 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives late March, 22 weeks earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Wood Thrushes arrive in Florida?
Wood Thrushes are winter birds in Florida: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Wood Thrushes leave Florida?
Most Wood Thrushes have left Florida by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Wood Thrush in Florida?
The Wood Thrush is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 1.3% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Wood Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Gadsden County, Jefferson County, and Santa Rosa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).