South · Mississippi Flyway
Warblers in Tennessee
Warblers in Tennessee come down to 38 species with regular eBird records, led by the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Together they account for 540,908 of the 8.7 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 6.2% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Ovenbird, Blackburnian Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Nashville Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Canada Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Swainson's Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Connecticut Warbler and Townsend's Warbler. Wood-warblers are small, active, often brightly colored insect-eaters, and for many birders they define spring migration. A few species winter in the southern states; most breed in the north and pass through in April–May and again in September–October.
Warblers in Tennessee: every species, most-reported first
Every warbler with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) — 91,969 records, 1.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in November.
2. Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) — 42,725 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in April.
3. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) — 37,324 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in July.
4. Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) — 30,897 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to October and peaking in March.
5. Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) — 23,451 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in April.
6. Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) — 22,371 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in May, September and October with a peak in October.
7. Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) — 21,424 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in May.
8. Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) — 20,976 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May, September and October with a peak in October.
9. Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) — 20,236 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to July and peaking in June.
10. Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) — 19,350 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May, June and September with a peak in October.
11. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) — 19,189 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in May and September with a peak in September.
12. Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) — 19,180 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September and October with a peak in September.
The remaining 26 species — Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Ovenbird, Blackburnian Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Nashville Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Canada Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Swainson's Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Connecticut Warbler and Townsend's Warbler — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see warblers in Tennessee
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, warblers are most prominent in May, September and April and least in December and January. None of the 38 species is a year-round resident, so the timing below is everything.
Summer visitors. Northern Parula arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak April); Common Yellowthroat arrives around April and is mostly gone after October (peak July); Yellow-throated Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak April); Hooded Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak May); Yellow-breasted Chat arrives around May and is mostly gone after July (peak June); Black-and-white Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak September).
Winter visitors. Yellow-rumped Warbler arrives around October and leaves after April (peak November); Pine Warbler arrives around September and leaves after October (peak March); Orange-crowned Warbler arrives around October and leaves after April (peak October).
Passage migrants. Tennessee Warbler is reported mainly in May, September and October; Palm Warbler is reported mainly in April, May, September and October; Black-throated Green Warbler is reported mainly in April, May, June and September; American Redstart is reported mainly in May and September; Magnolia Warbler is reported mainly in September and October; Yellow Warbler is reported mainly in April, May, August and September.
Attracting warblers to Tennessee backyards
Warblers rarely visit seed feeders. Native trees and shrubs that host insects, a shallow moving-water feature, and no pesticides are what bring them into a yard, especially during migration.
In Tennessee the warbler most likely to turn up is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Warblers in Tennessee: FAQ
How many species of warblers are there in Tennessee?
38 species of warblers have regular eBird records in Tennessee (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Ovenbird, Blackburnian Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Nashville Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Canada Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Swainson's Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Connecticut Warbler and Townsend's Warbler.
What is the most common warbler in Tennessee?
The Yellow-rumped Warbler, with 91,969 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Northern Parula with 42,725. It is a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in November.
When is the best time to see warblers in Tennessee?
May, September and April, when the combined share of Tennessee eBird records belonging to warblers is highest. Summer visitors such as the Northern Parula arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler arrive around October.
More birds in Tennessee
Warblers in other states
Warblers in Tennessee: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Tennessee records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Parulidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.