The Dickcissel breeds in grasslands, often wetter areas, as far east as western Ohio . The first park record is from Park Headquarters at the end of December, 1963. Mark Armstrong of the Knoxville Zoo detected migrating Dickcissels flying over Purchase Knob in early October of 2004 while studying nocturnal migration flight calls and a bird was observed in Cades Cove in late October of the same year. Future sightings are expected to come from large open areas, such as Cades Cove and Purchase Knob.

All records come from the fall from Cades Cove, Purchase Knob, and Park Headquarters area.

References:

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.