WhenToBird

Icteria virens · Icteriidae

When Do Yellow-breasted Chats Arrive in Pennsylvania?

Adult Yellow-breasted Chat
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-breasted Chats arrive in Pennsylvania in the second week of May, peak in late May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: late May. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by the second week of July. Peak: on about 1.5% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.4% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Greene CountyBest early July · 92 checklists that week, 2,997 in all6.8%
  2. Lancaster CountyBest late June · 1628 checklists that week, 97,892 in all6.3%
  3. Washington CountyBest early June · 654 checklists that week, 23,823 in all6.2%
  4. Clarion CountyBest late May · 462 checklists that week, 9,153 in all5.9%
  5. Snyder CountyBest the second week of June · 104 checklists that week, 5,676 in all5.0%
  6. Fulton CountyBest late June · 223 checklists that week, 7,004 in all4.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Safe Harbor Nature PreserveLancaster County, best the second week of June · 22 checklists that week, 437 in all90%
  2. Goat Hill Serpentine BarrensChester County, best the second week of June · 34 checklists that week, 430 in all90%
  3. Yelenoc Acquisition (previously was Sheeder)Berks County, best mid June · 21 checklists that week, 323 in all88%
  4. Heuser ParkMontgomery County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 478 in all75%
  5. State Game Land 230Cumberland County, best mid June · 33 checklists that week, 1,268 in all73%
  6. Nottingham County ParkChester County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 356 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Yellow-breasted Chat is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 236842 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 199508 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.1%
May0.7%1.0%1.4%1.6%
June1.5%1.3%1.4%1.4%
July1.2%1.0%0.6%0.3%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0.1%
December0.1%0%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives late April, 2 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives late April, 2 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania
  • Virginia: arrives mid April, 3 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Yellow-breasted Chats arrive in Pennsylvania?
Yellow-breasted Chats arrive in Pennsylvania in the second week of May, peak in late May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.
When do Yellow-breasted Chats leave Pennsylvania?
Most Yellow-breasted Chats have left Pennsylvania by the second week of July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-breasted Chat in Pennsylvania?
The Yellow-breasted Chat is reported most often in late May, on about 1.5% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Yellow-breasted Chats seen most often?
By county, Greene County, Lancaster County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-breasted Chat (counties with at least 200 checklists).