Skip to content
birdfact
Identify
Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Tennessee

Our list for Tennessee has 193 bird species recorded regularly there: 47 residents, 34 summer visitors, 58 winter visitors, 50 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors

The list comes from 9.7 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
193
In October
136
Common
60
Busiest month
May

What's special about Tennessee

vs United States

The birds recorded far more often here than across United States, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Tennessee is worth visiting for.

  1. Prothonotary WarblerProthonotary Warbler4.0×Summer visitor · 0.32% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  2. Eastern BluebirdEastern Bluebird2.9×Resident · 3.5% of records here, 1.2% across United States
  3. Tennessee WarblerTennessee Warbler2.7×Passage migrant · 0.39% of records here, 0.14% across United States
  4. Bay-breasted WarblerBay-breasted Warbler2.4×Passage migrant · 0.18% of records here, 0.07% across United States
  5. Philadelphia VireoPhiladelphia Vireo2.3×Passage migrant · 0.06% of records here, 0.03% across United States
  6. Tufted TitmouseTufted Titmouse2.3×Resident · 4.6% of records here, 2.0% across United States
  7. Northern MockingbirdNorthern Mockingbird2.3×Resident · 3.8% of records here, 1.7% across United States
  8. Gray-cheeked ThrushGray-cheeked Thrush2.1×Passage migrant · 0.07% of records here, 0.03% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay4.29%
  2. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal4.07%
  3. American CrowAmerican Crow3.55%
  4. Tufted TitmouseTufted Titmouse3.25%
  5. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker3.22%
  6. Northern MockingbirdNorthern Mockingbird2.96%

Arriving now

  1. Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerWinter visitorSep 0.05% → Oct 1.59%
  2. Ruby-crowned KingletRuby-crowned KingletWinter visitorSep 0.06% → Oct 0.95%
  3. Swamp SparrowSwamp SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.67%
  4. Yellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerWinter visitorSep 0.03% → Oct 0.65%
  5. Hermit ThrushHermit ThrushWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.25%
  6. Lincoln's SparrowLincoln's SparrowPassage migrantSep 0.01% → Oct 0.19%

Share of all bird records in Tennessee in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Tennessee

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Tennessee

Records by month
Bird records in Tennessee by month, 2019–2024
January730,439
February748,335
March829,667
April1,387,876
May1,393,868
June670,197
July583,722
August550,343
September770,247
October744,141
November624,455
December688,197

May has the most records (1.4 million). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 24
All 24 families in Tennessee

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 193 birds, A to Z

Show all 193 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Tennessee known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Tennessee stands out for Prothonotary Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, Tennessee Warbler and Bay-breasted Warbler. Each is recorded at least 2.4 times as often here as across United States, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Tennessee?

193 species, each recorded regularly in Tennessee (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 47 residents, 34 summer visitors, 58 winter visitors, 50 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Tennessee, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Tennessee in October?

136 species on our list for Tennessee are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, Tufted Titmouse and Red-bellied Woodpecker.

What are the most common birds in Tennessee?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Tennessee are Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, American Robin and American Crow.

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

Download citations (7)