WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus varius · Picidae

When Do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Photo: Barry Cottam, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid December (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: mid December. First arrivals late September; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 17% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 14% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 13% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.3% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.6% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.6% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.2% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.7% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.8% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.6% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.1% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.6% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.1% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 16% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 17397 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Perry CountyBest mid December · 128 checklists that week, 3,047 in all40%
  2. Tipton CountyBest early January · 42 checklists that week, 1,603 in all39%
  3. Grainger CountyBest late November · 73 checklists that week, 3,030 in all39%
  4. DeKalb CountyBest the second week of December · 36 checklists that week, 2,539 in all38%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest late December · 110 checklists that week, 4,596 in all35%
  6. Bedford CountyBest mid December · 35 checklists that week, 3,122 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Baylor LakeHamilton County, best late January · 27 checklists that week, 423 in all78%
  2. Walker Springs ParkKnox County, best early December · 20 checklists that week, 1,326 in all63%
  3. Halls Greenway ParkKnox County, best early January · 24 checklists that week, 715 in all56%
  4. Rock SpringHamilton County, best mid March · 45 checklists that week, 1,954 in all53%
  5. Sequoyah Hills ParkKnox County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 533 in all51%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (7.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (224) to judge1 am: too few checklists (253) to judge2 am: too few checklists (245) to judge3 am: too few checklists (267) to judge4 am: too few checklists (582) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5688) to judge6 am: 4.9% of 36828 checklists7 am: 7.4% of 72816 checklists8 am: 7.0% of 76910 checklists9 am: 6.7% of 69071 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 60943 checklists11 am: 6.5% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 6.6% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 6.5% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 6.6% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 6.2% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 20977 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (12529) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4456) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1056) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (445) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (252) 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
January14%13%12%12%
February10%8.3%7.6%7.6%
March7.2%6.7%6.8%7.6%
April5.1%2.6%0.9%0.4%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%1.3%
October5.1%10%12%12%
November13%12%13%15%
December15%16%17%16%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives late September, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives early October, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives early October, 1 week later than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 23 weeks later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in Tennessee?
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid December (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers leave Tennessee?
Most Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have left Tennessee by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Tennessee?
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is reported most often in mid December, on about 17% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Perry County, Tipton County, and Grainger County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).