The last seven days on iNaturalist, checked against five years

Rare Birds in Tennessee This Week

Q: What rare birds are in Tennessee this week?

The lists above, read live from iNaturalist: first the birds within 25 miles of Nashville, then the whole state. Each species is checked against five years of confirmed sightings, and the most unusual come first.

Q: How many bird species are seen in Tennessee?

385 bird species in 158,029 confirmed iNaturalist sightings between 2021-10-09 and 2026-10-01. 42 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the state, so a new one of them is news.

Q: What counts as rare in Tennessee?

Near Nashville or your own ZIP, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings within 25 miles in five years, or one that is seen there but almost never in these weeks of the year. On the statewide list, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings anywhere in Tennessee.

Q: Who confirms rare bird records in Tennessee?

The Tennessee Bird Records Committee. From its page: “The Committee requests documentation for all species on the following Review List and any species not currently on the list or listed as ‘Extirpated’ or ‘Extinct’.”

Q: How do I see rare birds near me in Tennessee?

Enter your ZIP on the rare bird alert for a list around your own spot, and check it each week in spring and fall migration, when most strays turn up. Each bird links to its iNaturalist species page with photographs and a range map.

Q: Are needs ID sightings included?

Yes, for this week only, because confirmation takes days and a rare bird may be gone by then. The five year record the week is checked against counts research grade sightings only.

Tennessee logged 158,029 confirmed bird sightings across 385 species on iNaturalist in five years, and 42 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings. The live list near Nashville covers 25 miles around the city. The Tennessee Bird Records Committee reviews rare bird records here.

Near Nashville

Rare birds near Nashville this week

Every bird posted within 25 miles of Nashville in the last seven days, with the ones that are rare there, out of season or uncommon first and the reason for each.

Reading this week's bird sightings within 25 miles of Nashville from iNaturalist.

Somewhere else in Tennessee? Enter your ZIP for the circle around it.

Tennessee birds on the record

iNaturalist, research grade

158,029

Confirmed bird sightings

research grade iNaturalist records, five years

385

Bird species on record

seen and confirmed in Tennessee

Species seen 3 times or fewer

11 percent of the state list, the birds that make news

25 mi

Live circle

around Nashville, or any ZIP you enter

Counted from iNaturalist’s research grade bird records in Tennessee from October 9, 2021 to October 1, 2026, read October 9, 2026.

Across Tennessee

The whole state this week

Every bird reported anywhere in Tennessee in the last seven days, checked against the state’s own five year record: Rare here means 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the whole state.

Reading this week's bird sightings across Tennessee from iNaturalist.

What turns up here

Who confirms a rare bird in Tennessee

385 bird species have confirmed iNaturalist records in Tennessee over five years, and 42 of them were confirmed 3 times or fewer. A sighting of one of those is the kind a state records committee reviews before it joins the official list. The Tennessee Bird Records Committee names 4 birds on its own page, below.

Tennessee Bird Records Committee

The committee reviews rare bird records in Tennessee.

“The Committee requests documentation for all species on the following Review List and any species not currently on the list or listed as ‘Extirpated’ or ‘Extinct’.”

Tennessee Bird Records Committee, read October 9, 2026.

Birds the committee names

The committee lists four species with published Tennessee reports that still await documentation: Bridled Tern, Long-billed Murrelet, Cave Swallow and Great-tailed Grackle.

“There are published reports of the following species from Tennessee but documentation has not been submitted to the TBRC.”

Bridled Tern
Long-billed Murrelet
Cave Swallow
Great-tailed Grackle

Nine birders and photographers on a wooden boardwalk over a marsh, with long lenses, a spotting scope and binoculars all pointed to the left, under spring trees — Birders and photographers setting up on an overlook. Word of an unusual bird travels this way: one person posts a photograph, and the people nearby go and look. “Birdwatchers stop to set up equipment at overlook”, Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain

Tennessee rare bird questions

What rare birds are in Tennessee this week?

How many bird species are seen in Tennessee?

What counts as rare in Tennessee?

Who confirms rare bird records in Tennessee?

Which rare birds has the Tennessee committee named?

How do I see rare birds near me in Tennessee?

Are needs ID sightings included?

More for Tennessee birders

Rare birds near any ZIPEnter a ZIP for this week’s unusual birds around it.Tennessee fall migrationWhen the big flights pass over.Tennessee hummingbird migrationWhen they arrive and when they leave.Tennessee eagle watchingWhere bald eagles gather in winter.Tennessee sandhill crane migrationWhere the cranes stage and when.Tennessee winter birdsWhat comes to the feeder when it snows.

Rare birds in other states

Sightings and records from iNaturalist, read live for this week. The lists are built from counts per species, and each bird links to its species page. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the rare bird alert.