WhenToBird

Setophaga coronata · Parulidae

When Do Yellow-rumped Warblers Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Yellow-rumped Warbler
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-rumped Warblers are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (37% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 37% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 20% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 21% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 21% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 23% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 23% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 22% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 21% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 22% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 22% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 30% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 35% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 28% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.3% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 38% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 38% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 31% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 22% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 23% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 24% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Portsmouth CountyBest early November · 38 checklists that week, 3,085 in all83%
  2. Buchanan CountyBest mid October · 32 checklists that week, 1,612 in all73%
  3. Northampton CountyBest late October · 1005 checklists that week, 27,227 in all69%
  4. Essex CountyBest late October · 70 checklists that week, 2,973 in all65%
  5. Williamsburg CountyBest early November · 124 checklists that week, 7,060 in all64%
  6. Richmond CityBest late April · 1491 checklists that week, 23,489 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chincoteague IslandAccomack County, best the second week of November · 36 checklists that week, 1,588 in all99%
  2. Ralph H. Dean Recreation ParkPage County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 128 in all98%
  3. Paradise Creek Nature ParkPortsmouth County, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 714 in all97%
  4. Three Oaks ParkVirginia Beach County, best early November · 31 checklists that week, 1,121 in all97%
  5. Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge (Kiptopeke)Northampton County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 402 in all96%
  6. Princess Anne Wildlife Management AreaVirginia Beach County, best early March · 20 checklists that week, 878 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (21% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 18% of 64788 checklists7 am: 21% of 169128 checklists8 am: 20% of 180748 checklists9 am: 19% of 153462 checklists10 am: 17% of 128966 checklists11 am: 16% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 16% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 16% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 16% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 16% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 14% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 10% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 6.9% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January20%21%21%23%
February23%22%22%22%
March21%21%22%22%
April22%23%30%35%
May28%15%3.3%0.5%
June0.4%0.3%0.4%0.2%
July0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.3%0.5%0.9%2.8%
October12%26%38%38%
November33%31%26%25%
December23%22%23%24%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives early September, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Yellow-rumped Warblers arrive in Virginia?
Yellow-rumped Warblers are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (37% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Yellow-rumped Warblers leave Virginia?
Most Yellow-rumped Warblers have left Virginia by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler in Virginia?
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is reported most often in late October, on about 37% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Yellow-rumped Warblers seen most often?
By county, Portsmouth County, Buchanan County, and Northampton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-rumped Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).