WhenToBird

Coccyzus americanus · Cuculidae

When Do Yellow-billed Cuckoos Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Photo: kirk gardner, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-billed Cuckoos reach Tennessee in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late June (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: late June. First arrivals late April; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 14% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.3% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.1% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 14% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 12% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.0% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.8% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.9% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.7% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.7% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.6% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Houston CountyBest early July · 20 checklists that week, 1,234 in all79%
  2. Perry CountyBest the second week of August · 23 checklists that week, 3,047 in all74%
  3. Henry CountyBest early July · 79 checklists that week, 5,668 in all61%
  4. Decatur CountyBest late June · 11 checklists that week, 378 in all59%
  5. Hickman CountyBest mid June · 13 checklists that week, 598 in all56%
  6. Lauderdale CountyBest late June · 26 checklists that week, 888 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clear Lake (historical)Humphreys County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 849 in all75%
  2. Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (Duck River)Humphreys County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 533 in all75%
  3. Kyker Bottoms Wildlife Management AreaBlount County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 1,772 in all67%
  4. Percy Priest Wildlife Management AreaRutherford County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 846 in all66%
  5. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Williams Bend)Knox County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 684 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.0% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 11% of 36828 checklists7 am: 6.6% of 72816 checklists8 am: 5.0% of 76910 checklists9 am: 4.1% of 69071 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 60943 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 2.4% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 3.4% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 4.1% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%0%
April0.1%0.1%0.2%1.6%
May6.3%9.1%14%14%
June13%13%14%15%
July15%13%12%12%
August12%11%10%8.0%
September5.8%5.9%5.7%4.7%
October3.8%1.6%0.6%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives late April, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives early April, 3 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives early May, 1 week later than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Yellow-billed Cuckoos arrive in Tennessee?
Yellow-billed Cuckoos reach Tennessee in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late June (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Yellow-billed Cuckoos leave Tennessee?
Most Yellow-billed Cuckoos have left Tennessee by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Tennessee?
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is reported most often in late June, on about 14% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Yellow-billed Cuckoos seen most often?
By county, Houston County, Perry County, and Henry County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (counties with at least 200 checklists).