Aug 05, 2026
Tennessee Hummingbird Season: A Month-by-Month Calendar
Timing derived from eBird data, 2016–2025 (sourced Aug 2026)
Tennessee's hummingbird year runs on a real west-to-east gradient — Memphis sees the first scouts while the Smokies are still waiting — plus a genuine winter chapter most states don't get: Rufous Hummingbird has gone from a single confirmed record before the late 1980s to Tennessee's official "Regular" winter visitor today. Here's how the year actually unfolds, region by region.
The short answer: late March in West Tennessee, early April in Middle and East Tennessee, and most Ruby-throateds are gone again by late October.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When do they arrive? | Late March in West Tennessee, early April in Middle and East Tennessee |
| When should feeders go up? | Late March in West Tennessee; early April elsewhere — the whole state stays quiet before mid-to-late March |
| When do they nest? | Late May through late July |
| When do they leave? | From August; most gone by late October |
| Any in winter? | Rufous, Tennessee's official "Regular" winter visitor — plus Black-chinned in smaller numbers most years |
New to feeding hummingbirds? Start with our guide to attracting hummingbirds in Tennessee for species, feeders, nectar, and native plants. This page is the timing deep dive.
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The whole year on one page
Arrival windows region by region, when to hang feeders in your part of the state, and when to watch for Rufous — printed small enough to tape inside the shed door.
Download the Tennessee cheat sheetOne page · PDF · free to print and share
Tennessee's Hummingbird Season at a Glance
Before the region-by-region detail below, here's the whole season in two pictures — Ruby-throated's full-season curve, and the winter visitors worth watching for, shown at their own scale since they're a small fraction of Ruby-throated's numbers.
How often each species turns up on eBird checklists, week by week — statewide, 2016–2025. The regional breakdown below shows exactly when that wave reaches your part of the state.
Regional Arrival Snapshot
| County | Ruby-throated First Arrivals | Reliably Common By |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby (Memphis) | Late March | Mid-April |
| Hamilton (Chattanooga) | Early April | Mid-April |
| Davidson (Nashville) | Early April | Late April |
| Knox (Knoxville) | Early April | Early May |
| Sevier (Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountains) | Early April | Early May |
Windows derived from eBird bar chart data (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), 2016–2025, for Shelby, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, and Sevier counties. "First arrivals" is the first week reporting rises clearly above the winter baseline; "reliably common" is the first week each county's reports reach 25% of that county's seasonal peak. Knox and Sevier see scouts right on schedule but take noticeably longer to build to a reliable presence — likely an elevation effect in East Tennessee's higher terrain as much as pure west-to-east geography.
Late March: West Tennessee Wakes Up First
| Shelby (Memphis) | First scouts reach the Mississippi River corridor by late March. |
| Rest of Tennessee | Genuinely quiet — our own county-level data shows essentially zero presence anywhere else in the state this early. |
These are scattered early individuals, not yet a reliable population — but it's worth having a feeder up in West Tennessee by this point.
Early April – Early May: The Wave Moves East
| Early April | Hamilton (Chattanooga), Davidson (Nashville), Knox (Knoxville), and Sevier (Gatlinburg) all see their first scouts. |
| Mid-April | Shelby and Hamilton reliably common. |
| Late April | Davidson reliably common. |
| Early May | Knox and Sevier reliably common — East Tennessee's higher terrain takes the wave the longest to fully settle into. |
Males arrive first and establish territories, with females following about two weeks later — so a quiet feeder in early spring is normal, not a sign anything's wrong.
Late May – Late July: Nesting Season
Tennessee's breeding Ruby-throateds settle in and nest statewide. Feeder activity can taper off somewhat as females become secretive around the nest, though it never goes fully silent — one Nashville yard alone had 353 individual birds banded between early June and late September of 2008, a good reminder that a well-stocked feeder keeps drawing traffic straight through nesting season.
August – October: Southbound Migration
| August | Southbound movement begins, adult males first. |
| Early-to-mid September | Statewide peak — this year's fledglings join the adults at feeders before the wave turns south. |
| Early-to-mid October | Still real activity in every region we checked — numbers only drop close to zero by very late October. |
Fall migration runs longer than many people expect. Every county we checked, including East Tennessee's Knox and Sevier, still showed meaningful Ruby-throated activity into early-to-mid October before tapering off toward the end of the month.
November – March: Winter, With a Genuine Regular Visitor
By this point in the year, Tennessee's story is genuinely different from most states. Rufous Hummingbird is Tennessee's official "Regular" winter visitor, per the state's own bird records committee — and the trend has only grown: before the late 1980s there was a single confirmed Tennessee record, and by winter 2007–08 there had been more than 100. Some banded individuals return to the same yard year after year.
Black-chinned Hummingbird turns up most winters too, in smaller numbers than Rufous — classified "Casual," a genuine step above a one-off. True rarities occasionally show up as well: Anna's, Calliope, Allen's, Broad-tailed, and Broad-billed Hummingbirds are all on Tennessee's confirmed record list, each classified "Accidental."
Pop's tip: Consider leaving at least one feeder up through mid-November or later. Western vagrants are increasingly being spotted in Tennessee well into the colder months, and Rufous alone is common enough now that a winter feeder is a genuine, not just theoretical, chance at a visitor.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do hummingbirds come back to Tennessee?
Late March in the far west, and about two to three weeks later farther east. Shelby County (Memphis) sees the first scouts by late March; Knox and Sevier counties in East Tennessee typically follow last, not reliably common until early May.
When do hummingbirds leave Tennessee?
Southbound movement starts in August, and most breeding Ruby-throateds are gone from the state by late October. Rufous Hummingbirds — Tennessee's official regular winter visitor — arrive as the breeders leave.
How long do hummingbirds stay in Tennessee?
Roughly seven months for the breeding population, from late March arrival in West Tennessee through late October departure. The season runs a couple of weeks shorter in East Tennessee, where they arrive later.
Why is my Knoxville or Gatlinburg feeder quiet in April?
Because the wave hasn't fully settled in yet. Ruby-throated becomes reliably common in Knox and Sevier counties by early May — East Tennessee's higher terrain takes the longest to build to a full presence, even though scouts arrive on schedule.
Should I keep a feeder up through a Tennessee winter?
Yes, more so than in most states. Rufous is Tennessee's official "Regular" winter visitor, and Black-chinned turns up most years too. Keeping a feeder up into December, or later, gives you a genuine chance at hosting one.
How We Built This Calendar
We pulled eBird bar chart data for Tennessee statewide and for five counties — Shelby (Memphis), Davidson (Nashville), Hamilton (Chattanooga), Knox (Knoxville), and Sevier (Gatlinburg/Smoky Mountains) — covering 2016 through 2025, and read the seasonal shape and regional pattern directly off the reporting rates ourselves. Percentages describe how often a species appears on birdwatchers' submitted checklists — a measure of how likely you are to encounter one, not a population count.
Sources
- eBird bar chart data, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Tennessee statewide and county-level (Shelby, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Sevier), 2016–2025. Source for all month-by-month seasonal figures and the west-to-east regional arrival pattern.
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Ruby-throated Hummingbird species page. Source for the 353-bird Nashville banding record and historical Rufous record counts.
- Official List of the Birds of Tennessee, Tennessee Bird Records Committee (December 2024). Source for each species' official status (Regular, Casual, Accidental).
Event dates and formats change from year to year. Check organizer websites before making plans.
Want feeder setup, nectar ratios, and native plant picks for your part of the state? See our full guide to attracting hummingbirds in Tennessee.
Know before they arrive
You don't have to keep this calendar taped to the fridge. Insider Birding Access members get seasonal notes timed to your region — when to have feeders out, what the birds are doing right now, and what's worth doing in your yard this season. We take the guesswork out of the calendar. Joining takes about thirty seconds, and there's 10% off your first order in it.
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Bethany Sloan has served as General Manager of Pop's Birding since 2010, continuing the legacy of her grandfather, William "Pops" Sloan, inventor of the Original Hummingbird Swing. A lifelong hummingbird enthusiast, educator, and independent researcher, she leads the company's educational content, including its 50-State Hummingbird Guide series, Regional Guide, Species Guide and Hummingbird Learning Center. Bethany combines scientific research, regional migration data, and more than 16 years of hands-on experience to create trusted educational resources for bird enthusiasts across North America.
