Status & Distribution

This listing contains every species that has an expected arrival date during springtime in Virginia Beach. Both regularly-occurring summer residents (red highlight), and spring & fall transients (yellow highlight, with lighter red referring to transients expected only in spring), can have spring arrival dates since the former will be arriving for the breeding season, and the latter will be arriving on their way further northward to breed. Spatial Distributions for each species may be accessed by selecting the links below, and these maps are available for the current migration season, so that the northward progression can be easily tracked. The Temporal Distribution column contains links to the seasonal line graphs at eBird, showing the report and abundance frequencies for each species over the prior 10 year period (2016-2025). Lastly, Status & Trends Models are included in the final column, and link to eBird-generated data which show population changes over time. If you wish to open multiple maps or charts into your browser, select the links with the roll wheel on your mouse and each will open in a new browser tab.

Filter: Spring Arrivals - Spring Departures - Fall Arrivals - Fall Departures


Species
Code		 Average Spring
Arrival Date		 Spatial Distribution
(Current Season)		 Temporal Distribution
(Past 10 Years)
Status & Trends
Blue-winged Teal BWTE 25 Feb Map Chart Models
Piping Plover PIPL 10 Mar Map Chart Models
Royal Tern ROYT 10 Mar Map Chart Models
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher BGGN 10 Mar Map Chart Models
Lesser Yellowlegs LEYE 15 Mar Map Chart Models
Yellow-crowned Night Heron YCNH 20 Mar Map Chart Models
Tricolored Heron TRHE 20 Mar Map Chart Models
Purple Martin PUMA 20 Mar Map Chart Models
Glossy Ibis GLIB 25 Mar Map Chart Models
Little Blue Heron LBHE 25 Mar Map Chart Models
Least Sandpiper LESA 25 Mar Map Chart Models
Black Skimmer BLSK 25 Mar Map Chart Models
White-eyed Vireo WEVI 25 Mar Map Chart Models
Northern Rough-winged Swallow NRWS 25 Mar Map Chart Models
Barn Swallow BARS 25 Mar Map Chart Models
Yellow-throated Warbler YTWA 25 Mar Map Chart Models
Chimney Swift CHSW 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Ruby-throated Hummingbird RTHU 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Green Heron GRHE 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Western Cattle-Egret WECE 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Broad-winged Hawk BWHA 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Vesper Sparrow VESP 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Ovenbird OVEN 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Louisiana Waterthrush LOWA 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Northern Parula NOPA 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Prairie Warbler PRAW 30 Mar Map Chart Models
Eastern Whip-poor-will EWPW 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Short-billed Dowitcher SBDO 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Long-billed Dowitcher LBDO 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Pectoral Sandpiper PESA 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Caspian Tern CATE 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Anhinga ANHI 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Prothonotary Warbler PROW 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Black-throated Green Warbler BTNW 5 Apr Map Chart Models
Chuck-will's-widow CWWI 10 Apr Map Chart Models
Swallow-tailed Kite STKI 10 Apr Map Chart Models
Great Crested Flycatcher GCFL 10 Apr Map Chart Models
Eastern Kingbird EAKI 10 Apr Map Chart Models
Hudsonian Whimbrel HUWH 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Spotted Sandpiper SPSA 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Solitary Sandpiper SOSA 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Sandwich Tern SATE 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Least Bittern LEBI 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Red-eyed Vireo REVI 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Wood Thrush WOTH 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Grasshopper Sparrow GRSP 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Worm-eating Warbler WEWA 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Swainson's Warbler SWWA 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Hooded Warbler HOWA 15 Apr Map Chart Models
Black-necked Stilt BNST 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Willet (Eastern) WILL 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Least Tern LETE 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Common Tern COTE 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Orchard Oriole OROR 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Blue-winged Warbler BWWA 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Northern Yellow Warbler NYWA 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Summer Tanager SUTA 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Blue Grosbeak BLGR 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Indigo Bunting INBU 20 Apr Map Chart Models
Yellow-billed Cuckoo YBCU 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Semipalmated Plover SEPL 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Marbled Godwit MAGO 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Semipalmated Sandpiper SESA 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Eastern Wood-Pewee EAWP 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Acadian Flycatcher ACFL 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Bank Swallow BANS 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Cliff Swallow CLSW 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Veery VEER 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Lincoln's Sparrow LISP 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Yellow-breasted Chat YBCH 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Northern Waterthrush NOWA 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Kentucky Warbler KEWA 25 Apr Map Chart Models
American Redstart AMRE 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Cape May Warbler CMWA 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Black-throated Blue Warbler BTBW 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Rose-breasted Grosbeak RBGR 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Dickcissel DICK 25 Apr Map Chart Models
Common Nighthawk CONI 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Stilt Sandpiper STSA 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Gull-billed Tern GBTE 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Common Gallinule COGA 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Sandhill Crane SACR 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Yellow-throated Vireo YTVI 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Swainson's Thrush SWTH 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Bobolink BOBO 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Nashville Warbler NAWA 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Cerulean Warbler CERW 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Blackburnian Warbler BLBW 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Chestnut-sided Warbler CSWA 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Blackpoll Warbler BLPW 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Scarlet Tanager SCTA 30 Apr Map Chart Models
Wilson's Plover WIPL 5 May Map Chart Models
Red Knot REKN 5 May Map Chart Models
White-rumped Sandpiper WRSA 5 May Map Chart Models
Parasitic Jaeger PAJA 5 May Map Chart Models
Black Tern BLTE 5 May Map Chart Models
Mississippi Kite MIKI 5 May Map Chart Models
Philadelphia Vireo PHVI 5 May Map Chart Models
Eastern Warbling Vireo EAWV 5 May Map Chart Models
Golden-winged Warbler GWWA 5 May Map Chart Models
Tennessee Warbler TEWA 5 May Map Chart Models
Magnolia Warbler MAWA 5 May Map Chart Models
Canada Warbler CAWA 5 May Map Chart Models
Wilson's Warbler WIWA 5 May Map Chart Models
Black-billed Cuckoo YBCU 10 May Map Chart Models
American Avocet AMAV 10 May Map Chart Models
Wilson's Phalarope WIPH 10 May Map Chart Models
Wilson's Storm-Petrel WISP 10 May Map Chart Models
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher YBFL 10 May Map Chart Models
Alder Flycatcher ALFL 10 May Map Chart Models
Willow Flycatcher WIFL 10 May Map Chart Models
Least Flycatcher LEFL 10 May Map Chart Models
Gray-cheeked Thrush GCTH 10 May Map Chart Models
Bicknell's Thrush BITH 10 May Map Chart Models
Bay-breasted Warbler BBWA 10 May Map Chart Models
Red-necked Phalarope RNPH 15 May Map Chart Models
Roseate Tern ROST 15 May Map Chart Models
Sooty Shearwater SOSH 15 May Map Chart Models
Olive-sided Flycatcher OSFL 15 May Map Chart Models
Arctic Tern ARTE 20 May Map Chart Models
Mourning Warbler MOWA 20 May Map Chart Models
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck BBWD 25 May Map Chart Models

References

Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/

Pyle, P. and D.F. DeSante. 2024. Four-letter (English Name) and Six-letter (Scientific Name) Alpha Codes for 2202 Bird Species (and 139 Non-Species Taxa) in accordance with the 65th AOS Supplement (2024), sorted taxonomically. The Institute for Bird Populations. Downloaded from https://www.birdpop.org/docs/misc/Alpha_codes_tax.pdf

Rottenborn, S.C. and E.S. Brinkley. 2007. Virginia’s Birdlife: An Annotated Checklist. Virginia Avifauna No. 7, Fourth Edition.

Sullivan, B.L., C.L. Wood, M.J. Iliff, R.E. Bonney, D. Fink, and S. Kelling. 2009. eBird: a citizen-based bird observation network in the biological sciences. Biological Conservation 142: 2282-2292.